Aston Villa are prepared to sell Louie Barry before next Monday with the Premier League outfit facing a fight to avoid falling foul of strict PSR regulations.
Barry spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Hull City, but only played 165 minutes of action before succumbing to a knee injury in the vital win at Sunderland in February in just his fourth appearance.
Despite hopes that he could return before the end of the campaign, another injury ended those hopes, and the Sutton Coldfield-born attacker remained at Bodymoor Heath, Villa’s training centre, to continue his recovery.
Now, Villa are thought to be looking to sell a number of players in the coming days to ensure they remain on the right side of the top-flight’s strict financial rules. before they are forced to submit their accounts on June 30.
In a bid to do that, Barry is understood to be one of the players Villa are prepared to listen to offers for, along with former Preston North End loanee Kaine Kesler-Hayden. Selling their youngsters would be classed as pure profit and would therefore help their finances.
News of Barry’s potential departure from Villa Park this week has alerted a host of clubs across the Championship, who would all be keen on signing the 22-year-old if the price was right.
City have retained their firm interest in Barry after signing him in January and could be aided in any potential move for the exciting playmaker by Acun Ilicali’s close relationship with Villa owner Nassef Sawiris, which also saw Jaden Philogene arrive two years ago before being sold back to the Birmingham outfit.
The pair held discussions in the winter, which brought Barry to the MKM Stadium. Those talks also looked ahead to the following season and a possible extension of that loan move. Given that Barry missed the remainder of the campaign so soon into his move to the MKM Stadium, it could work in the Tigers’ favour should they throw their hat back into the ring.
Barry was in electric form in the first half of the season, bagging 15 goals in 23 outings during a scintillating loan spell at Stockport County, before returning to the second city and then joining City.
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