Sheffield Wednesday might have to play the waiting game with reported target Louie Barry amid reports Aston Villa will take their time before sanctioning a January move.
The Star reported at the end of November on Wednesday’s interest in Barry, with Hillsborough recruitment chiefs seemingly ahead of the Championship curve in identifying their target. Since then, a huge number of Championship clubs have joined the race with links to Sheffield United, Middlesbrough, Leeds United, Derby County and many more.
Barry netted 15 goals on loan at League One Stockport County during the first half of the season, with Villa opting to recall the 21-year-old this month amid speculation they could hand him a promotion to the Championship. This next move could prove a sliding doors moment in the young forward’s career and as such, Villa are not likely to rush any decision.
Villa Barry stance
Sky Sports claim Villa are keen to assess Barry within their first-team training sessions before making a decision, with manager Unai Emery wanting to ‘take a proper look’ at the youngster before pulling the trigger on a possible move. Cold water has also been poured on previous reports of a sale, with any mid-season exit likely to be on loan and likely to be towards the end of the window.
Alongside an ever-growing list of Championship suitors, Scottish Premiership outfit Celtic are now said to have enquired about Barry’s availability, further reducing Wednesday’s hope of signing the in-form forward. Emery confirmed last week the returning loanee had been involved in first-team training and a plan is being put together for his immediate future.
“He trained with us and we are going to make a plan with him, an overall plan,” the Villa boss said after confirming a decision had not yet been made. “I think he is a very good player who is progressing well. He has been on loan, doing fantastic. Now we can have a new plan with him. He improved because he was scoring a lot of goals on loan. With us he only trained today and yesterday. Of course we are going to try and get a good plan for the club with him.”
Wednesday transfer latest
This month’s transfer window has been a slow-burner at Wednesday to say the least, with no signings confirmed and a distinct lack of anything imminent. Danny Röhl has previously spoken of his desire to welcome ‘big impact’ players through the door as he looks up towards the top six, but reports surrounding the South Yorkshire club have centred mostly on outgoings.
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