It has been a long and arduous road for former England man Ross Barkley, but the 2023/24 season he spent with Luton Town showed why he was once highly rated as a Chelsea youngster.
That performance has opened the door to a possible appearance in the UEFA Champions League for the 30-year-old midfielder, as Aston Villa are looking to add him to their squad for the 2024/25 season.
The Villans secured Champions League football with wonderful performances masterminded by Spanuch tactician Unai Emery and are already plotting their moves to compete properly in Europe’s premier competition.
They have learnt from Newcastle United’s experience after the Magpies crashed out of the 2023/24 group stages thanks to inexperience and a few tactical lapses which could have been plugged with the right players in the right positions.
Luton Town went straight back down to the EFL Championship but it looks like Barkley will not be going with them, as Villa are looking to convince Luton in the same fashion as they did Leicester City for Youri Tielemans.
Barkley, who spent some time at Villa Park on loan as a Chelsea player, wants to continue in the Premier League. “I want to play in the Premier League. I want to play in Europe again … I feel like for the next three years maybe I’ll still be in my prime years,” he said.
The statement may rub the Hatters the wrong way, especially after manager Rob Edwards stated that the club and Barkley had had a chat recently.
“We’ve had a chat. The fans showed their love for Ross, he’s adored by everyone here, we will see what happens. He’s contracted to the club and I expect to see him in pre-season.”
“We want to keep the majority of the group together to attack the league. We have no financial worries at all so we don’t have to sell anybody. It’s inevitable there will be change – that happens. It has to be right for us, first of all.”
Edward’s statement means that the Kenilworth Road outfit will accept a good fee for Barkely. The former Chelsea man could be one of two midfielders who Emery has requested for in the summer transfer window in addition to a fullback and a forward.
Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher is another option that the Villans are considering as a midfield signing.
The young midfielder’s contract at Chelsea is widnign down and there have been no talks of a renewal as at the time of this report.
