Everton old boy Ross Barkley drops transfer hint on Instagram amidst return rumours

Former Everton star Ross Barkley has made a transfer hint on Instagram amidst rumours linking him with a return to Goodison Park.

The 28-year-old left the Toffees in 2018, to join Chelsea in a £15million deal, after making 179 appearances for the club between 2012 and 2018.

However, the move to Chelsea did not prove to be a successful one, and with Frank Lampard looking for midfield reinforcements this summer, they have been linked with a move for their former attacking midfielder [Mirror].

Barkley has now hinted at a possible return to his boyhood club, as he has unarchived all his old Everton posts on his Instagram photos on his Instagram page, as noted by Everton Hub on Twitter.

Some of these show the 28-year-old in Blues colours, celebrating goals and donning his old number eight shirt.

Return for Barkley?

With a possible return to Goodison Park an option, it is important to analyse some of the factors surrounding a Barkley return.

It would be interesting to see if some of the Toffees faithful would welcome the return of their prodigal son, as he left the club under a cloud when he was one of the most promising young midfielders in the Premier League.

Also, what sort of player would the club be getting considering he has not played that much football in the last couple years and may not be as fit as he could be?

In addition to this, it is yet to be seen if Barkley still has the quality he had when Everton sold him five years ago, and whether he still possess the same creativity, aggression and goal-scoring tendencies that made him such a success at Goodison Park.

Despite all this, Barkley's social media activity does imply that the former England international still is true to his roots and would be open to a return.

It is clear that Barkley has not shut the door on Everton, but only time will tell if they have shut the door on him.

In other Everton news, the club's move for Dwight McNeil is close to completion.