Transfer News: Villa sign Ross Barkley

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Villa are strengthening their squad ahead of a campaign where they will compete in the Premier League and Champions League

They have signed midfielder Ross Barkley from Luton Town on a permanent deal.

Ross Barkley at Luton

The 30-year-old made 32 Premier League appearances for Luton, who were relegated from the top flight in 2023-24.

This is Barkley's second spell at Villa Park. He spent the 2020-21 season on loan there from Chelsea.

The former Everton midfielder also made 33 appearances for England between 2013 and 2019 and was regarded as one of England's most promising talents, featuring in the Three Lions side at the 2014 World Cup.

Barkley made 150 appearances for Everton over eight years  He joined Chelsea in a £15m move in 2018 but left by mutual consent at the start of the 2022-23 season after 100 appearances for the club.

Also read

Premier League: Summer 2024 news and stories 

The latest from Aston Villa 

A spell at Luton helped Barkley find his feet in the top flight once again after just nine starts in 27 appearances during a one-year spell with Ligue 1 Nice.

Barkley's arrival follows Villa's double signing of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea, who joined for a combined £18.6m.

They also completed the signing of Chelsea left-back Ian Maatsen for £35m, while they have also signed striker Lewis Dobbin from Everton.

What do the fans think?

Jamie, an Aston Villa fan, is underwhelmed with his side's current business in the transfer market. He said: "The upcoming transfer window needs to see more activity from us. We need to strengthen the team by making at least two significant signings. At some point, the manager and board need to focus on bringing in high-quality players. The Champions League will be very difficult with the current squad. I think Barkley is a decent signing and there's a chance that he could be a good squad player if we end up playing over 50 matches next season."

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