Chelsea on the verge of completing deal for Ross Barkley after submitting £15m bid

Chelsea are on the verge of completing a deal for Ross Barkley after making a new bid for the Everton midfielder. The Blues are extremely confident and hope to get the deal done as early as this weekend, with the midfielder reportedly in London to undergo a medical.

The Sun reports that a deal worth £15m ($20m) is on the horizon with Barkley set to be on his way to Stamford Bridge, having rejected a move to the Blues in the end of last summer. Barkley is out of contract with his boyhood club at the end of the season after rejecting a lucrative extension last year.

Tottenham were interested and wanted to sign the midfielder on a free after the end of the season, but shied away from matching Chelsea's offer in January. And, it is unlikely that they will be successful in their efforts for the England international.

Barkley is currently short of match fitness but is on the mend after recently returning to first-team training – having yet to play a single match in 2017-18 after groin surgery was followed by an operation on a ruptured hamstring.

Manager Sam Allardyce, speaking to the press ahead of their FA Cup tie against Liverpool, agreed that Barkley could be on his way to one of the big boys this window.

"One would expect there would be sometime in this window if there's going to be any interest from one of the big boys," Allardyce said, when asked if there had been any contact from other clubs.

The Telegraph states that Barkley, who is returning to first team action, is thought to have been impressed by Chelsea's persistence in trying to sign him, which made him choose Antonio Conte's side for his long term future.

The Chelsea manager has been insistent that his team needs an influx of quality to keep themselves in a good position in the Premier League, despite going 16 points behind leaders Manchester City in the table.

The Blues battled out a 2-2 draw with top four aspirants Arsenal at the Emirates in an end-to-end game, where Hector Bellerin's goal in extra time saw the Blues drop two points from the cusp of victory.