Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson has sent an extraordinary letter to Football Association bosses, claiming he has contacted the police over Ross Barkley’s move from Everton to Chelsea.
After the midfielder’s £15m switch to London earlier this month, Anderson claimed on social media that he would contact the FA over the deal, saying Chelsea had deliberately attempted to force down the fee.
Now the full text of the letter has been revealed, in which the outspoken mayor says he has asked the police ‘whether any fraud has taken place’.
The letter, published on Tuesday by the Liverpool Echo, comes after Barkley made his long-touted switch from Goodison Park to Stamford Bridge – but for a much lower fee than expected.
Having been set for a £35m switch in August, the deal fell through when Barkley tore his groin. The move was resurrected in January – but with the midfielder’s Everton contract due to expire in the summer, Chelsea were able to negotiate a much lower fee.
Anderson, who describes himself in the letter as ‘a lifelong supporter of Everton and as someone with a broader interest in the future of the game’, was incensed by this, claiming Chelsea had pulled out last minute in order to force the price down.
In the letter to FA chairman Greg Clarke and Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, Anderson says: ‘There seems to me to be at least a public perception that collusion has taken place.
‘While that may not be the case it is in your interest that this is at least looked at to reassure fans that transfers will be monitored more closely in future and that no individuals are benefiting inappropriately.
‘I am so concerned about the circumstances surrounding this transfer that I am asking the appropriate police authorities to consider whether any fraud has taken place.’
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