Tottenham end interest in Ross Barkley transfer as midfielder closes in on Chelsea switch

Tottenham have ended their interest in Ross Barkley as the player closes in on a move to Chelsea.

Spurs were keen on Barkley in the summer but it is understood their interest has since cooled, and that they had no plans to sign him in this transfer window as Mauricio Pochettino has other targets he prefers.

There were theories that Pochettino was earmarking Barkley as a successor to the injury-prone Mousa Dembele in central midfield.

But, with Harry Winks going from strength to strength in the first half of this season and impressing in both matches against Real Madrid, the Argentinian may well feel the future is secure in that area and that he needs to prioritise pace in attacking areas instead.

It paves the way for Chelsea to complete the signing of Barkley.

Chelsea last night made a £15million bid for Barkley, who decided against a £35m transfer to the club on the final day of the summer transfer window to focus on his recovery from a hamstring problem.

But he has since recovered and resumed training with the first-team squad a fortnight ago.