The path has been cleared for Tottenham to sign Ross Barkley after it has emerged that Everton have given up on him accepting their contract offer, according to a Mirror report.
The newspaper claims the Toffees have privately accepted the England star will not sign a new deal and that lengthy negotiations will not result in an agreement.
It is said the club were even prepared to offer Barkley a bigger contract than the one offered to Romelu Lukaku earlier this year.
But Barkley has ignored the public ultimatums of manager Ronald Koeman and Everton are now willing to sell the playmaker if their £50million valuation is met.
Tottenham and Manchester United have both expressed an interest in signing the 23-year-old in the past as both sides look to strengthen their squads ahead of 2017/18.
However they may have to wait until the following season to get their man as he is reportedly considering running down his contract and moving on a Bosman when his deal ends in June 2018.
The 22-time England international was a key player for Ronald Koeman’s side this term, and he made 39 appearances in all competitions, scoring six goals and supplying nine assists.
However as the contract dispute rolled on Barkley found himself on the bench for Everton’s last few games of the campaign, and the club eventually finished seventh in the Premier League.
Meanwhile Tottenham finished the season in style with a 7-1 thrashing of Hull, and despite losing out to Chelsea in the title race, they cruised to second-place.