Everton are reported to have agreed a £35m fee for the England star before Barkley decided against the move
Ross Barkley apparently refused to sign for Chelsea because he couldn’t speak to Antonio Conte on deadline day as the Italian had his phone switched off, according to Joey Barton.
Everton agreed a £35m fee for the England star before Barkley decided against the move.
Joey Barton told talkSPORT: “I heard a really interesting thing about what happened with the Ross Barkley transfer. Conte turned his phone off and Barkley’s representatives were trying to contact him.
“He wanted to say: ‘Look, where am I going to play’, and Conte turned his phone off. That is why Barkley got cold feet and never signed.
“He thought: ‘Well, if the manager isn’t answering the phone to me he clearly doesn’t want me’, and that is why he went back to Everton.”
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