Tottenham and Chelsea set to battle over Ross Barkley with £20m bids expected in January transfer window

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The fight for Ross Barkley's signature will resume in January with both Tottenham and Chelsea still aiming to sign the Everton playmaker for a cut price.

Both clubs wanted to sign Barkley in the summer and the midfielder, who is out until December with a hamstring injury, rejected a £35million move to Stamford Bridge.

The 23-year-old Englishman is out of contract at Goodison Park next summer, when he will be available on a free transfer, meaning that both Chelsea and Tottenham will look to sign him for a reduced price of £20m in January.

Everton are braced for more bids for Ross Barkley in January as his contract runs down

The rejection of Chelsea suggests Barkley favours a move to Tottenham, where Mauricio Pochettino has established an English core to his team, including players such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier, a potential central midfield partner for Barkley. 

The Everton man's ability to drive forward from midfield could see him rival Mousa Dembele for a place in the team, although he is also an option at No 10, where Alli currently plays. Dembele has a chronic foot complaint to manage, meaning increased action for the likes of Moussa Sissoko this season.

Antonio Conte (left) has already seen Barkley reject a move to his Chelsea side in the summer; but Tottenham are also interested in him amid fitness concerns over Mousa Dembele (right)

Barkley's Everton career looks over after his long-term stand-off over a new contract. He has already turned down new terms worth around £100,000 per week.

Boss Ronald Koeman said in the summer that Barkley would not play again for him and the club would sell the player who came through their youth ranks. Everton now have a surfeit of No 10s following the arrivals of Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Davy Klaassen.