Louie Barry transfer news: Celtic, Aston Villa contract update, Stockport County plans | OneFootball

Football League World rounds up all the latest news regarding the much sought after Aston Villa starlet Louie Barry

Aston Villa striker Louie Barry joined League One Stockport County on a season-long loan deal last summer, and subsequently scored nine goals in 23 third tier outings.

His goalscoring exploits at Edgeley Park unsurprisingly caught the eye of several Championship clubs, including Sunderland, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby County and Middlesbrough, who are all reportedly interested in signing the 21-year-old, after Villa recalled him.

While Barry has been one of the main centres of attention during the January transfer window for a multitude of EFL clubs, Football League World rounds up all the latest news regarding the former Barcelona academy starlet:

Celtic set to launch seven-figure transfer bid for Barry

It is no surprise that several Championship sides are keen on Barry, after he showed he is more than capable of producing the goods at League One level with Stockport.

But amid interest from several clubs in the English game, the Villa forward has also caught the attention of Scottish Premiership giants Celtic.

According to the Daily Record, the Celtic recruitment team have brought Barry to the attention of boss Brendan Rodgers, and the Bhoys are now set to launch an opening seven-figure bid for the starlet.

Having already claimed this season's Scottish League Cup title with a penalty shootout win over fierce rivals Rangers last month, Rodgers' men could still be set to battle on three fronts this term, with an upcoming Scottish Cup knockout tie with Kilmarnock on Saturday evening, while progression to the next stage of the Champions League is still possible for the Glasgow outfit.

With this in mind, fixture congestion could become an issue for the Bhoys moving forward, but Barry could prove to be a solid squad option for now, who can operate on both the left-side of the attack, and as a central striker, while at just 21, he could be a future star at Celtic Park.

Villa open contract talks with Barry

While several clubs are looking to make their swoop for the young striker, his current side, Villa, are also looking to tie him down to a new contract, rather than let him depart the West Midlands on a permanent basis in the wake of Celtic's offer.

That's according to Football Insider, who report that Unai Emery and co are weighing up whether to keep him at Villa Park, or deploy him on loan to play at a higher level than League One.

Should Barry sign a new contract with Emery's side, it would play into the favour of Championship clubs seeking his services on loan, rather than the reigning Scottish Premiership champions who are vying for his permanent signature.

Stockport Barry replacement admission made

Regardless of where the 21-year-old ends up this month, the fact he was recalled by Villa has left Stockport without their leading goalscorer for the rest of the League One campaign.

Following County's 1-0 defeat to Premier League Crystal Palace in the FA Cup third round on Sunday, boss Dave Challinor outlined how his club will cope without Barry's services, as reported by Football League World.

The 49-year-old highlighted the importance Tanto Olaofe will have following his fellow forward's departure: "He has to be (a difference-maker in the second half of the season).

"Tanto had a really tough first half of the season.

"He went away pre-season, a way of him hitting the ground running based on 20 goals that he scored last year, and picked up an injury that kept him out for eight weeks.

"He's been playing catch-up ever since.

"In that time, Louie Barry came in and scored a load of goals.

"Louie's obviously gone back, and it's important that we get Tanto up to speed.

"He missed some games over Christmas with a slight hamstring issue but without us playing really, really well today, and we'd like to have opened up a bit more and played more expansive, Tanto showed the threats he has against, be clear, an England international, who is a fantastic defender.

"Just by his willingness to run and be aggressive and be a nuisance, he got in really good areas, opportunities to score.

"We've just got to keep him rolling and start getting him the goals because he will have a huge impact in the second half of the season."