Sheffield Wednesday have been linked with the forward for several months.
Sheffield Wednesday and their Championship opponents appear to have the advantage over Celtic in the fight for Louie Barry, with rumors indicating that a move within England would be preferable.
Wednesday are one of nearly a dozen Championship clubs said to be interested in Barry, with the Star originally reporting in November that Hillsborough officials were looking at the 21-year-old. Stockport County’s 15 goals in 23 League One games have piqued the curiosity of Leeds United, Sunderland, Sheffield United, and many more.
Celtic, the Scottish Premiership’s defending champions, have lately joined the race, with Brendan Rodgers looking for a right-winger. However, while their top-flight and European status may have been advantageous, Football Insider believes Aston Villa would prefer to drop back to the Championship.
Barry Loan Update
A loan agreement seems the most likely outcome for Barry, with Villa willing to transfer him to the second tier for a sustained period of regular play. The Premier League team has big aspirations for their young forward and would be reluctant to make a permanent departure.
According to Football Insider, Villa would first attempt to sign Barry to a new contract before considering his immediate future choices. Over the summer, the England youth international did just that, signing a contract with enhanced terms before joining Stockport.
The source does not rule out a transfer, but says that any offer must include a ‘large amount’ if Celtic are to tempt Barry away from Villa Park permanently. The player himself is thought to be eager to stay in the Midlands and compete for a place under Unai Emery.
“He trained with us, and we are going to make a plan with him, an overall plan,” Emery said before of his team’s FA Cup third round victory against West Ham earlier this month. “I believe he is a really excellent player who is improving well. He has been performing admirably while on loan. Now we can make a fresh plan with him. He improved because he scored so many goals on loan. He trained with us only today and yesterday. Of course, we will strive to work out a good plan for the club with him.”
Wednesday fans will be hoping that news of a new signing or two will lift their spirits after a difficult week that culminated in Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Leeds United. Danny Röhl, the Owls’ manager, hopes to communicate with owner Dejphon Chansiri in the coming days after not hearing from him since December.
Chansiri disclosed the stunning lack of communication at an intense midweek fans forum, concluding the five-hour discussion by disclosing Southampton had recalled Shea Charles from his season-long loan. Wednesday still hopes to re-sign the midfielder, but city rivals Sheffield United have expressed an interest.
Owls fans will be keeping a watch on Lesley Ugochukwu’s future, who is presently on loan at Southampton from Chelsea. The Star knows that last week’s recall of Charles was motivated in part by uncertainty about the status of their own on-loan midfielder, who is expected to return to Stamford Bridge.
Leave a Reply