Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has confirmed that the club are planning for former Barcelona forward Louie Barry to sign a new contract before going on loan for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.
The 21-year-old has been training with the Villans since being recalled from his loan spell at Stockport County, and after being assessed by the boss, the Champions League side are set to reward the youngster's progress with a new deal.
"We are very happy with Barry but we have one plan with him and that is to extend his contract and continue his process as a player. And to go on on loan, get experience and confidence," Emery told reporters.
"How we are working with him now and last year is the right way for him."
The most commonly-linked sides are Celtic and Leeds United, though it remains to be seen where the talented goalscorer could end up as the end of transfer window approaches.
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Who is Louie Barry?
At the age of 16, Barry became the first English player to join Barcelona's legendary La Masia academy setup when he swapped the blue and white stripes of West Bromwich Albion for the blue and red of the Catalan giants in 2019.
However, the then-teenager was persuaded by Villa's academy manager Mark Harrison to return to the Midlands just months later, and Barry put pen to paper at the club he had grown up supporting with his dad.
The versatile youngster has most often been deployed as a central striker when donning claret and blue, but he is versatile enough to be an effective option across multiple positions.
In 2023-24, Barry helped Dave Challinor's Stockport to the League Two title with nine goals in 20 appearances, though his campaign was curtailed by injury midway through.
In 2024-25, Barry returned to the Hatters, where he operated predominantly as a left-winger for the promotion hopefuls, and his tally of 15 goals from 23 appearances in the third tier this season made him the division's top scorer at the time of his departure.
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Which clubs have been linked with Barry?
This January, Barry has been linked with a host of clubs including Ligue 1 Lens and Scottish champions Celtic, and Brendan Rodgers's league leaders could use his additional firepower to cement their already dominant position at the top of the table.
Should the Villa man make the move up to Scotland, then he could start alongside Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn in what would be an exciting forward line.
Elsewhere, a number of Championship clubs have also been credited with an interest in the goalscoring winger, who is considered to be ready to make the step up from League One level in the second part of the season.
Leeds are the most frequently linked club from the second tier, though they will have to fend off tough competition from league rivals Middlesbrough if they want to land his signature.
At Elland Road, Barry would join a talented group featuring the likes of Joel Piroe, Brenden Aaronson and Tottenham Hotspur loanee Manor Solomon, as well as former Manchester United speedster Dan James.
