Ross Barkley moving from Everton to Chelsea 'makes sense' for former Liverpool player Steve Nicol

Steve Nicol believes Ross Barkley will eventually move to Chelsea as it simply makes sense for both parties involved.

The Everton midfielder has been the subject of transfer speculation after rejecting a new contract at Goodison Park with just a year left on his current deal.

Having made it clear that he is seeking a "new challenge", Barkley is widely expected to leave Merseyside this summer.

So far, the Toffees have struggled to offload him given the £50m ($65m) price tag that they slapped on the 23-year-old with Tottenham Hotspur being one of the interested parties.

However, with recent reports stating that Chelsea have moved ahead of Spurs and are pushing to complete a deal for Barkley, former Liverpool player Nicol believes a move to Stamford Bridge is likely to happen.

"Yes I do (think Chelsea will gamble on Barkley)," Nicol said on ESPN FC, as quoted on The Express.

"I think this is the one that makes more sense to me. Ross Barkley at Everton had more than ample opportunity of playing time to show everybody what he's got. I don't think he can sustain a full season.

"Chelsea are trying to fill out their squad with quality, they guy has got ability. Maybe we will see it more if he plays with so-called better players at Chelsea. I think this makes sense for Barkley, it certainly makes sense for Chelsea. This one's a hit for me."

Barkley burst onto the scene as a regular first-teamer during the 2013/14 season and has gone on to make 150 appearances for his boyhood club.

However, the England man has failed to impress in recent seasons as Everton manager Ronald Koeman is already preparing for his departure with his pursuit of Swansea City's Gylfi Sigurdsson.