Aston Villa set to land Barcelona youngster Louie Barry in €3m deal | OneFootball

It appears that the Louie Barry experiment is over at Barcelona, just six months after it began.

According to ESPN, the 16-year-old will join Aston Villa on a four-year deal. The Midlands club are prepared to agree a deal that will cost them up to €3m for the teenager.

Barry made the move to Barcelona over the summer after spending 10 years at West Brom. At the time, he rejected a lucrative offer from PSG to make the switch.

However, things haven’t worked out.

A delay in processing his registration with Fifa, which caused him to miss out on playing with the U19s until October despite an impressive pre-season alongside the likes of Ansu Fati.

The youngest player in Barcelona’s U19 set-up and the first English player to ever reside at La Masia, Barry was also reportedly upset at not being given the opportunity to shine with the U17s this season.

There is also some legal drama surrounding Barry’s summer move. West Brom are yet to see the £235,000 in compensation Barcelona owe them for the player, despite reporting the matter to Fifa.

Choosing Aston Villa over Premier League sides like Manchester United and Liverpool is reportedly a ‘football decision’. Barry is said to be aiming to play first-team football at a high level as soon as possible.

Another key factor in the move is that Barry and his family are lifelong Villa supporters, while former WBA academy manager and mentor, Mark Harrison, now holds the same position with Villa.

Sources told ESPN that they consider Barry’s acquisition Villa’s ‘biggest deal’ in the January window. Though he is set to start life at Villa Park in the U23s, he could make his Premier League debut this season.