Thursday 11 May 2017 21:21, UK
Everton boss Ronald Koeman says Ross Barkley has one more week to decide his future at Goodison Park.
Barkley has just one more year on his contract with Everton but has so far refused to put pen to paper on a new deal as he considers his future.
Tottenham are among a number of clubs thought to be monitoring the situation and Koeman says Everton are not prepared to wait until the start of next season for a decision from the England international.
When asked how long Barkley had, Koeman replied: "Still one week, time for him to decide. The board is working a long time for Ross to stay for a long period.
"It's up to the player but we don't wait until August. We need an answer if he will accept the contract or we sign a player.
"If he leaves it so long you have doubts. I like to work with players who want to stay. I don't know, it's up to the player, he needs to make a decision."
Another player who could leave Goodison Park during the summer window is Chelsea target Romelu Lukaku, who recently admitted that he is occasionally a hard player to manage.
Koeman disagrees with the Belgian striker but believes he can still improve his game.
"He's not so difficult. He knows what he needs to improve. He improved in several aspects in his play, but I still think he can do better," Koeman said.
"In pressing, in working for the team, but we know his qualities in finishing. I can't make him better in that, but I can make him better in other aspects.
"If you see the performances of Rom overall in the season, it's better than it was. That's what you like to do as a manager, develop the players.
"We had talks about the future, about ambitions, but that's between us. He still has two years on his contract."
Everton are guaranteed to finish seventh in the Premier League this season no matter the result of their final two games against Watford and Arsenal.
Everton host Watford at Goodison Park on Friday night and Koeman is confident of securing another home win.
"We've had some great wins - we've had a great home season," he said. "The fans deserve a win tomorrow."
