Aston Villa 'intend to sell' reported Sunderland and Leeds United transfer target this month
Sunderland are one of several clubs who have been linked with Louie Barry in recent weeks
Aston Villa will look to sell reported Sunderland target Louie Barry to a Championship club this month, according to reports.
The attacker spent the first half of the campaign on loan in League One with Stockport County, and caught the eye with an impressive return of 15 goals and two assists across 23 league outings. Indeed, his performances proved to be enough to convince his parent club that he could justifiably be playing at a higher level, with confirmation coming in December that his spell at Edgeley Park would be brought to an early conclusion.
To that end, a host of Championship clubs have been touted as admirers of the 21-year-old, with Sunderland reportedly tussling with the likes of Leeds United, Sheffield United, and Burnley for his signature. Up until this point, the widespread expectation had been that Villa would look to loan out Barry once again.
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But according to the Telegraph, the player could be set for a permanent exit from Villa Park in the coming weeks. In a report detailing every Premier League club’s likely ambition for the January transfer window, the outlet writes: “Finances will be tight, with profitability and sustainability rules still at the forefront of Villa minds, but Unai Emery will aim to make a few additions.”
The piece goes on to suggest that the Champions League side will look to make space in their squad by offloading a number of players, with Barry mentioned as one prospective departure. It is stated that Villa “intend to sell him to a club in the Championship”.
Having started his youth career at West Brom, Barry - who predominantly operates as a left winger, but can play anywhere across a front three - sensationally signed for La Liga giants Barcelona in 2019. Less than a year later, however, he returned to England to sign for Villa, and has since been sent out on a series of loans to EFL sides. Alongside Stockport, the promising talent has spent time with Ipswich Town, Swindon Town, MK Dons, and Salford City.