It seems Everton have finally given up on their pursuit to convince Ross Barkley to stay at Goodison Park for longer. The 23-year-old has been phenomenal for the Merseyside club for the past two seasons and his consistency has attracted many top sides. However, even with Everton doing brilliantly under new manager Ronald Koeman, securing Europa League qualification yet again, it seems that the Toffees will have a tough time holding on to their stars.
Koeman has previously expressed his willingness to let the player go if he didn’t want to stay at the club, and we think he has found the perfect replacement for him in Ligue 1 ace Jean Michael Seri. The OGC Nice midfielder has earned same rave reviews this season helping the French side to finish in a respectable third position.
Despite being a central midfielder with a defensive mindset, the 25-year-old has scored seven goals and assisted nine times in all competitions for the French side. The departure of Barkley is bound to leave a huge gap for Everton in the midfield and Seri could be a good replacement.
Although he is not as versatile as Barkley, playing in a number 10 role or from the wings, he will be a level-up alongside the likes of Morgan Schneiderlin, Idrissa Gueye and Tom Davies at the Goodison.
Barkley still has a year left on in his contract and the Toffees will want to squeeze out as much as possible from his sale. Reportedly, they have slapped him with a hefty £50 million price tag, which could be a big hindrance for his potential suitors. Among his prime suitors are Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Everton have used a similar strategy to restrain their top-scorer Romelu Lukaku from leaving the club by capping him at a staggering £100 million.
But, landing Seri will be equally difficult for Everton with reports suggesting that Arsenal and Tottenham are also interested in the Ivory Coast international. And apart from them, money-rich PSG manager Unai Emery is also an admirer of the player and it was more cemented after Seri’s brilliant display in Nice’s 3-1 victory over his side recently.
However, with Champions League football a big challenge next season, Nice wouldn’t want to let go of their prized asset under any condition. They have reportedly set his price at a whopping £33.5 million. They had bought Seri for a mere £850,000 from Portugal side Pacos de Ferreira in 2015, and it is only obvious that they will try to get the maximum out of his sale.
