Aston Villa have confirmed that they have allowed Leon Bailey to join Roma on loan.
Back in 2021, Villa paid in the region of £30m to sign the winger from Bayer Leverkusen and he has since justified his price-tag in helping Villa transform into contenders for Champions League qualification.
However, he would contribute just two goals and four assists from 38 appearances in all competitions during 2024-25, a considerable drop-off from the form that led to 10 strikes and nine assists from 35 Premier games in the previous campaign.
As a result, speculation has persisted regarding a potential exit, Villa naturally preferring to facilitate a permanent departure in order to bolster their well-documented position with the Premier League's and UEFA's financial regulations.
Instead, the West Midlands outfit have had to be content with allowing the Jamaica international to join Roma on a season-long loan.
Leon Bailey of Aston Villa on January 10, 2025
What are the terms of Bailey's Roma move?
While Villa have not specified the terms of the agreement with Roma, it is suggested by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano that the Premier League club are only receiving a €2m (£1.72m) loan fee.
The assumption is that Roma will be taking on Bailey's wages in full to provide Villa with leeway on that front.
Romano adds that Roma also possess a non-mandatory buy option of €22m (£18.97m) which they can activate at the end of the season.
Bailey currently has two years remaining on his Villa contract.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery pictured on April 12, 2025
Can Villa now make more signings?
On Tuesday, Villa announced that Leander Dendoncker had left the club in order to sign for Spanish side Real Oviedo.
The Belgium international and Bailey have been known to be two of Villa's biggest-earners and their exits are a major boost when it comes to making more space on the wage bill.
Nevertheless, Villa's net-spend is currently still only in the region of £10m and they must make a profit this summer in order to comply with the terms of the punishment that they have recently received from UEFA for breaching financial regulations.
That is imperative in order to register new signings for the Europa League, and it leaves Unai Emery having to try to be creative in the transfer market during the final 12 days of the summer window.
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