Aston Villa seal £5m midfielder deal
Villa have completed the signing of midfielder Ross Barkley from Luton Town for a fee of around £5million.
Barkley has returned to the club where he previously spent the 2020-21 season on loan and becomes Villa’s third signing of the day, following the arrivals of Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior from Juventus.
The 30-year-old is back at Villa having rejuvenated his career at Luton, where he scored five goals and provided four assists last season having joined on a free transfer from Nice.
Barkley, who was also linked with Manchester United, met with Villa boss Unai Emery ahead of agreeing the move.
His signing completes a hectic opening few weeks of the transfer window for Villa, which has seen five new signings arrive and three players depart, including midfielder Douglas Luiz who completed his £42m move to Juventus on Sunday.
Midfielder Barrenechea and wideman Iling-Junior moved in the other direction for combined fees of £21m.
Villa also signed left-back Ian Maatsen from Chelsea for £37.5m and winger Lewis Dobbin from Everton for £10m. Teenage forward Omari Kellyman joined Chelsea for £19m, while midfielder Tim Iroegbunam went to Everton for £9m.
Barkley, who scored three goals in 24 appearances during his 2020-21 loan spell from Chelsea, will help fill the void left by Luiz.
Villa, whose early business has left them clear of any concerns in relation to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules, may look to add another midfielder later in the window, while the signing of Maatsen means one of Lucas Digne or Alex Moreno may leave.
