Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino to swoop for Ross Barkley and Luke Shaw - EXCLUSIVE
TOTTENHAM boss Mauricio Pochettino is ready to launch a double January transfer swoop for Ross Barkley and Luke Shaw to revive his side’s bid for honours.
By
NEIL FISSLER
PUBLISHED: 10:21, Sun, Dec 24, 2017 | UPDATED: 10:23, Sun, Dec 24, 2017
Pochettino has seen his
Tottenham side slip outside of the top four and is ready to bring in reinforcements when the transfer window opens next week.
He is ready to battle
Chelsea for England midfielder Barkley, who is returning to fitness after having surgery on a ruptured hamstring.
Barkley, out of contract in the summer, played in a behind-closed-doors game at Everton’s Finch Farm training ground early last week.
And the 24-year-old, who appears on the wanted list of Arsenal and West Ham as well as the Blues, will be ready for first-team action in time for the transfer window.
Manchester United left-back Shaw is another long-term Pochettino target and has struggled to settle at Old Trafford since his £30million move from Southampton in 2014 - he is also interesting Saudi Sportswashing Machine.
Jose Mourinho will let Shaw leave the club to finance a £25m move for Fulham’s Ryan Sessegnon.
Mourinho is keen for more options at left-back and could even move for Tottenham's Danny Rose, but Sessegnon has been heavily linked this week.
Tottenham were also keen on the Fulham ace in the summer until he signed a new contract and could go back in for him again.
Spurs have struggled this season but beat Burnley 3-0 yesterday with Harry Kane scoring a hat-trick.
And Pochettino knows he needs to fine-tune his side if they are to keep pressure on the top four.
Tottenham are fifth but only a point behind Liverpool in fourth and level on points with Arsenal in sixth.
Meanwhile Pochettino has challenged Kane to get even better despite grabbing his 53 goal of 2017 - just one fewer than Lionel Messi with a game more to play.
"He can still improve," he said. "Players arrive at their best at 27, 28, 29.
"It all depends how professional you are. If he keeps working hard every day in training and never changes that mentality, he can play until he wants.
"For me, he can still improve his game."