Aston Villa are considering recalling Louie Barry from his loan at Stockport County to send him to a club at a higher level and sources have revealed to TEAMtalk the club that’s leading the race for his signature.
The 21-year-old has been in superb form for the Hatters this season, bagging 14 goals in 19 League One appearances so far, as well as contributing one assist.
Barry is a key reason why Stockport currently sit in a play-off qualification spot and understandably, they are desperate to keep hold of the youngster till the season’s end.
However, TEAMtalk understands that Aston Villa are considering recalling him from his loan at Edgeley Park to move him to a stronger league for the second half of the campaign.
Villa are currently assessing his options and we can confirm that a number of Championship sides are interested in signing him on a short-term loan deal.
Villa have a fantastic youth system and sources always speak about the vast amount of talent at the club, but Barry is considered to be among the best of them.
The winger, who can also play as a centre-forward, has represented England from under-15 to under-18 level and this season he’s shown why Villa rate him so highly.
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Sources have made it clear that it won’t be a problem finding another club for Barry. Villa have a recall clause in his loan, meaning they can terminate his Stockport deal without paying a fee.
Just before joining Stockport on loan, Barry penned a contract extension with Villa. The club are confident he will grow into a player of Premier League quality.
TEAMtalk can reveal that number of clubs have registered an interest in signing Barry on loan in January, including Sheffield United, Coventry City, Middlesbrough, Queens Park Rangers and Stoke City.
Middlesbrough’s interest is most concrete at this stage and Michael Carrick’s side have already held talks with Villa and voiced their desire to sign Barry on loan next month.
What’s clear, is that the future is very bright for the winger and he looks set to make a move to a higher division in the coming weeks.
Barry’s style of play has drawn comparisons with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, although he’s admitted he was a little too young to watch him play during his heyday.
“At Villa, they showed me a few clips of him because of the similarity of peeling to the left and going for that far corner,” Barry said in an interview with Sky Sports in October.
Interestingly, the England youth international said that he has taken inspiration from Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy.
“I actually think I’m a bit more like Vardy. I play in a similar way to him, with his movement, being a bit of a nuisance. That’s what I built my game around when I was younger.
“He had an underdog story that I really like.”
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