England ace closes in on Aston Villa move as Wolves star posts four word transfer update amid interest
Aston Villa are in talks to sign former midfielder Ross Barkley from Luton Town after the Hatters’ relegation from the Premier League, the Guardian understands.
Barkley had a one-year loan spell in the West Midlands during the 2020/21 season where he scored three goals in 24 appearances for Dean Smith and later Steven Gerrard’s side.
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Hide AdThe Everton academy graduate struggled for form and fitness during his four-year stint at Chelsea, but is now once again proving himself to be a high quality midfielder in the Premier League.
Following his arrival from Nice, he has been a near everpresent and recorded five goals and four assists in his 32 appearances for the struggling side.
The length of the 30-year-old’s contract at Kenilworth Road has never been publicly disclosed, but the Times understand that it runs until the end of next season, which means that Luton may be willing to do business for a cut price fee.
Barkley himself is adamant that he can still do a job at the highest level and told the Guardian: “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.”
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Hide AdAs a youngster Barkley was compared by Roberto Martinez to Paul Gascoigne and Michael Ballack, and although the 30-year-old didn’t make Gareth Southgate’s provisional England squad he has shown signs of returning to his former club.
A move for Barkely could provide Unai Emery’s team with squad depth for what promises to be a challenging and exciting campaign in the Champions League while it would also boost the midfielder’s hopes of representing England in the 2026 World Cup and beyond.
Wolves star posts encouraging four word transfer update
Wolves were forced to sell a number of their star players last summer due to financial fair play regulations, but they were still able to improve on points tally from the 2022/23 season.
One of the key contributing factors in that has been the rise of youngster João Gomes who has formed a sensational midfield partnership with Mario Lemina.
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Hide AdThe South American dubbed ‘The Pitbull’ has not let his manager down since replacing Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes in midfield and has proven himself to constant ball of energy in the midfield, earning plaudits for his ball-winning ability in particular. Such form made the 23-year-old unlucky not to be nominated for the Young Player of the Season award in many people's eyes.
Gomes won his first two caps for Brazil this year, making him one of the contenders for the nation’s Copa America tournament this summer.
Such form has earned him interest from the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal, though Gomes at this time appears unphased by the interest and in a reassuring update to fans tweeted : “I love being here.”
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