The Ross Barkley to Celtic rumour has refused to go away this summer and recently, there have been suggestions that the club have made an offer to bring him on loan from Chelsea. The English midfielder is nowhere near Thomas Tuchel’s side at the moment, and thus, is expected to be on his way out in search of first-team football.
Now, Celtic are not the only club believed to be interested in Barkley though. Premier League clubs like Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United, West Ham United, Aston Villa and Everton have also been linked with a move for him.
Celtic have one major advantage over all those sides though, and it is the fact that they can offer Barkley the chance to play Champions League football, which none of those Premier League clubs can. Also, Parkhead could be a spectacular place for him to rediscover some form, as the Hoops are a more dominant side than any of those five.
As reported by Football Insider, Gabby Agbonlahor said about Barkley potentially joining Celtic:
"“Scotland is somewhere he can go and get some good form under his belt.“It would be a good move for him, somewhere he can step it up.“He’s a 28-year-old who needs to get back to enjoying his football.”"
Celtic have advantage in race to sign Barkley
It is safe to say that a lot of Celtic fans are not particularly excited at the idea of Barkley potentially joining Celtic.
At the same time, one must remember though that at one point of time, he was considered as the next big hope of English football. There is no question about his talent or ability.
While Barkley has never played his best football while at Chelsea, he has not been bad either when he has been on the pitch for them.
Not playing for a club like Chelsea does not mean that you are a bad player. Players like Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah failed to break into the Blues’ first-team at one point of time.
Also, Barkley is in the middle of his prime at 28 years of age and he does not have a long list of injuries either, that players like Aaron Ramsey and James McCarthy had before coming to Scotland.