It is debatable as to whether Everton ever truly replaced Ross Barkley.
The England international was a real midfield powerhouse during his time with the Toffees, displaying superb physicality and bravery as he often drove forward with the ball, shrugging opponents off with ease.
Since his £15m move to Chelsea in January 2018, however, Everton have never really found a proper replacement, instead targeting more diminutive midfielders such as Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph, Allan, Idrissa Gueye and Tim Iroegbunam.
Now, though, Everton could finally find a similar profile to Barkley in Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Everton could sign Ross Barkley 2.0 with a move with Ruben Loftus-Cheek
It was TEAMtalk who claimed that Everton have been offered Loftus-Cheek by intermediaries as he looks for a new challenge, having made just eight starts in Serie A for AC Milan so far this season.
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The England international has fared relatively well in Italy since his £15m move from Chelsea in June 2023 – but understandably wants to start more often, even more so with the World Cup on the horizon.
Loftus-Cheek has added motivation through the fact that Thomas Tuchel is the man who decides whether he will attend the World Cup, a coach he got on very well with at Chelsea.
David Moyes currently lacks a driving force in his midfield akin to Barkley – who cried when he left Everton – or Amadou Onana for example, with James Garner, Iroegbunam, Gueye and Dwight McNeil hardly the most physical operators.
So, it is definitely worth Everton following up with these intermediaries to see just how feasible a deal for Loftus-Cheek really is.
Everton could even sign Ross Barkley himself if Ruben Loftus-Cheek moves to Aston Villa
TEAMtalk add that Aston Villa have also been offered Loftus-Cheek, and it is a deal Unai Emery may consider after missing out on Conor Gallagher, who Everton looked at, to Tottenham.
Should that happen, it would shove Barkley even further down the pecking order at Villa Park, where he has only made seven Premier League appearances so far this season, none of which have been starts.
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Furthermore, the 32-year-old becomes a free agent this summer, so this month is the last chance Aston Villa have to sell the Everton academy graduate for a fee.
Therefore, if Loftus-Cheek heads to Villa Park, Everton may have a shot at bringing the actual Barkley back to Merseyside.
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