Koeman: Everton won't discuss new contract with Barkley until January

Ross Barkley and his boyhood club won't be discussing a new contract until the new year.

On Friday, Ronald Koeman admitted Everton will begin addressing Barkley's future in 2017 and also claimed the Toffees haven't been contacted by any club regarding the English midfielder, nor any other player. The Dutch manager's update came two days after the Evening Standard's Tom Collomosse reported Tottenham Hotspur is poised to move for the 23-year-old in a bid to get the best out of Harry Kane.

Related - Report: Tottenham eyeing Everton's Barkley

"We know he has about 18 months left," Koeman said, according to Andy Hunter of the Guardian. "That's not the priority right now. In the new year we will have talks about his situation and his future but the priority right now is playing and winning and see what happens in January. I'm not interested in what is said about the future of players. There is no one knocking on the door now about players from Everton."

According to Collomosse, Tottenham made a "tentative inquiry" about Barkley, who is earning roughly £65,000 per week at Goodison Park after putting pen to paper on a four-year contract with Everton in 2014. It would reportedly take no less than £35 million for the Toffees to consider parting ways with the player, who after failing to blossom under Roberto Martinez and being left off the pitch for England at Euro 2016, is continuing to struggle under Koeman.