Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Ross Barkley, Top Rumours

Everton interim manager David Unsworth wants Chelsea transfer target Ross Barkley to stay at Goodison Park and hopes to speak with the gifted midfielder about a new contract soon.

Unsworth has taken charge after Ronald Koeman was sacked on Monday, per Alys Bowen of Sky Sports, with Everton in the bottom three of the Premier League.

The former Toffees defender's first game will be to face Chelsea away in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, a fixture naturally reigniting talk about Barkley's future, given the west London club's interest.

Unsworth has made it clear he wants the England international to stay, per Marc Williams of the Daily Star: "I would love him to be persuaded by myself, the chairman and (Everton owner) Farhad (Moshiri) to stay and sign a contract."

Williams noted how both "Chelsea and Tottenham remain keen on the currently injured 23-year-old, who refused to sign a new contract at the end of last season."

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Barkley may be putting off the chance to sign a new deal, but Unsworth would welcome the opportunity to discuss it with the player: "I'd love him to sit down and have a cup of tea with me and discuss the possibility of signing and staying here because we love him and I know he loves Everton as well. I want everyone to come together and hopefully we can thrash something out with Ross."

Everton will likely have to act fast to convince Barkley to stay. Chelsea and Spurs are ready to submit offers during the January transfer window, according to John Cross of the Daily Mirror.

Links between Chelsea and Barkley were strong during the summer. In fact, the Blues reportedly bid £25 million for the artful midfielder in late January, per Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph.

The player said he did not undergo a medical with the Stamford Bridge club ahead of a move worth £30 million, per the Mirror's Martin Domin. Sky Sports News reporter Kaveh Solhekol had previously said Barkley changed his mind about a move to Stamford Bridge.

At the time it looked as if Barkley would move on thanks to an uneasy relationship with Koeman. Back in May, the Dutchman said he wasn't confident the 23-year-old would stay at the club, per BBC Sport.

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However, Koeman's tough stance with Barkley was a contentious one, according to BBC Sport's Phil McNulty:

"Whereas his hardline approach to Ross Barkley and his contract situation - effectively showing the England midfielder the door from his hometown club - was initially praised as putting a dissenter in his place, it was a decision revisited when Everton started to struggle.

"Barkley, for all his decision-making flaws, has increasingly looked like a player who would stroll into the current Everton line-up once fit and Koeman's handling of the situation has suddenly been questioned."

There is no doubt Barkley has the natural ability to feature for any Premier League side. He is an exciting blend of technique and raw power.

He can drive from deep and has the shooting power to get goals in bunches. He also boasts the vision and craft to be effective in possession for a team content to build stylishly between the lines.

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While his injury problems have been a source of frustration, Barkley has recently taken to Instagram to assure supporters he is getting close to full fitness after a hamstring problem suffered in preseason, per Paul Gorst of the Liverpool Echo.

News of his return should again pique Chelsea's interest. There is a lot of merit to the Blues making Barkley their top transfer target this winter.

For one thing, his arrival would help refresh a midfield thin behind experienced backups Cesc Fabregas and Danny Drinkwater. Fabregas is 30, while Drinkwater has not played due to an injury since arriving from Leicester City in the summer.

Manager Antonio Conte could use another credible option to support Tiemoue Bakayoko and N'Golo Kante. Injuries have hit the Chelsea midfield hard, with Kante also missing time.

Conte has complained the squad isn't deep enough and has warned he needs more players, per Ben Rumsby of the Daily Telegraph. Barkley would add to the numbers and also help Chelsea's squad in another way.

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Chelsea and Manchester City are reportedly showing interest in Barkley's fellow England international Arsenal's Jack Wilshere, as they try to "boost their quota of home-grown players in European matches," per Rob Draper of the Mail on Sunday.

Signing Barkley would do the same thing.

It may seem as though Koeman's sacking increases the chances Barkley stays with Everton. Yet the uncertainty set to come with the search for a new manager could make this the ideal time for Chelsea to move quickly to engineer a deal for one of the Toffees' prized assets.