Conte slams rumours of him being behind collapsed Barkley deal

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has slammed suggestions that he was at fault for his side’s failure to land Everton midfielder Ross Barkley.

The England international looked all but set to put pen to paper on a move to the Blues, but had a sudden change of heart, which saw him return to Everton on deadline day.

A fee thought to be worth £35 million had been agreed between the clubs, and all looked to be going smoothly. However, Barkley wants to continue his recovery from a long-term injury at Goodison Park, before seeking a January exit to Tottenham Hotspur.

Reports had circulated that the reasoning behind Barkley’s failure to join Chelsea was because Conte himself failed to answer the Everton man’s call. It’s claimed that Barkley had concerns over first-team assurances.

However, Conte ridiculed these claims today. As quoted by the Liverpool Echo, the Italian said:

First of all, I want to tell you that I don’t like to speak about players of other teams because it is a lack of respect.

But what I read about this issue was ridiculous. Ridiculous. I stop. It’s ridiculous. With this adjective, I tell you my thoughts of this news.

Barkley’s current contract at Everton expires at the end of the season.