Everton ready to sell Ross Barkley

Midfielder Ross Barkley’s Everton career is over after he told manager Ronald Koeman he wants a new challenge.

The local-born England international, who joined the Toffees academy as an 11-year-old, had been stalling on a new £100,000-a-week contract offer made earlier this year and Koeman gave him a deadline for the end of the season to sign it or be sold.

Barkley, who has less than a year remaining on his current deal, has subsequently told Koeman he wants to move to another club and the manager’s response was predictably blunt.