Chelsea’s difficult transfer window endured yet more frustration on deadline day after Ross Barkley became the latest high-profile player to reject a move to the Premier League champions despite a fee of £35m having been agreed with Everton.

A deal for Barkley had been struck in principle between the clubs only for the player to join Fernando Llorente, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and, earlier in the summer, Romelu Lukaku in opting against a switch to Stamford Bridge. The England midfielder, who is in rehabilitation from a torn hamstring, had been hoping to speak with Tottenham Hotspur, who also expressed interest in the player. Barkley who didn’t want to rush his decision pulled the plug at the last minute.

Chelsea, who applied for an extension to complete the £35m purchase of Danny Drinkwater from Leicester and confirmed the signing of the Italy right-back Davide Zappacosta for an initial £23m from Torino, could yet revive their interest in Barkley in January when the player will be fit again and has indicated he will reconsider his options. It remains to be seen whether a move to Spurs becomes a realistic prospect over the next four months, though Barkley is into the final year of his contract and the Goodison Park club may struggle to attract such a hefty fee from suitors in mid-season.

Everton suggested Barkley had even undergone a medical at Chelsea before the player changed his mind over the move, though those claims have been denied by sources close to the 23-year-old midfielder. “The two clubs agreed a deal of £35m, I think personal terms were agreed and, after the medical, we heard from Paul Martin, his agent, that he [Barkley] had changed his mind,” said the Everton majority shareholder, Farhad Moshiri. “He wants to reconsider his position during the January window. He is injured, so I think technically he will be with us because he is under contract for another year. It is a big surprise, but that is football.”

The failure to secure Barkley, for all that he could not have appeared in the group stage of the Champions League as he recovers from surgery, represented the latest blow to Chelsea’s attempts at appeasing Conte after a tense summer behind the scenes. The champions had lost out in their pursuit of Lukaku to Manchester United, Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool and, earlier on Thursday, Llorente to Spurs for around £12m. Conte had made clear the need to add greater depth to his options with a European campaign as well as the title defence ahead.

Yet only Zappacosta, who was first called up into the Italy squad by Conte and now has four caps, had been added to the ranks by the 11pm cut-off. “Davide is a player of international calibre who Antonio Conte knows well and we have been aware of for some time,” said the Chelsea technical director, Michael Emenalo. “We are very pleased to be able to bring him to the club and believe he will become an important member of the squad.”

A deal for Drinkwater was eventually struck with Leicester late on Thursday evening – apparently dependent on the Foxes securing Adrien Silva from Sporting, a deal still to be concluded at 11pm – and Chelsea filed the necessary paperwork before the deadline to earn a two-hour extension to complete that deal. The England midfielder would effectively replace Nemanja Matic, sold to United last month, and reunite with his former Leicester team-mate, N’Golo Kanté, at Stamford Bridge.

The Premier League holders will resume talks with Atlético Madrid on Friday aimed at finalising Diego Costa’s return to Spain in a deal that could be worth £49m.

Spurs, bolstered by Llorente’s surprise arrival, missed out on the Barcelona midfielder André Gomes after the Catalan club failed to secure a replacement.

Everton signed the 19-year-old forward Nikola Vlasic from Hajduk Split for €10m on deadline day but did not land the proven striker Ronald Koeman has repeatedly called for following Lukaku’s departure for United.

Moshiri claimed Everton had reconsidered the need for another forward and would look again in January, a decision at odds with the manager’s request and the failed deadline day attempt to sign Lucas Pérez on loan from Arsenal. The Spaniard has rejoined Deportivo de La Coruña a year after moving for £17m.

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