Merseyside Police says its officers have found no evidence of a crime in the £15m transfer of Ross Barkley from Everton to Chelsea in the January window.
An investigation into the Liverpool mayor’s claims that there may have been fraud involved in Ross Barkley’s transfer from Everton to Chelsea has found no evidence of criminal activity.
Joe Anderson, a lifelong Everton fan, wrote to the Football Association (FA) and Premier League after the 24-year-old England midfielder’s £15m move.
He claimed the “circumstance” of the deal “warrants serious investigation”.
The force’s assistant chief constable has written to both organisations, stating police would look at the deal again if either found any evidence in their own investigations.
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The FA and Premier League have been approached for comment.
The Premier League champions had reportedly agreed to pay £35m in the summer, only for Barkley to pull out of the move to Stamford Bridge at the last minute.
Noting that Barkley did not play “a single minute for Everton” in the time between these two negotiations, he said the player has seen “a decrease in value of more than one million pounds a week”.
He claimed: “At best, this represents a very poor deal for Everton Football Club.
“At worst, it could be seen as a deliberate attempt to drive down a player’s value in the transfer market so as to benefit the player, his agent and the buying club,” Mr Anderson said.
In the letter, Mr Anderson tells FA chairman Greg Clarke and Premier League executive chairman Richard Scudamore that he feels “it is right that the public receive an assurance on this matter”.
