Aston Villa have completed the signing of Luton Town midfielder Ross Barkley.
Barkley, 30, leaves Luton for an undisclosed fee. The Athletic reported that Villa were in advanced talks to sign Barkley last month and the Englishman has now signed a three-year deal with his new side.
He returns to Villa having spent the 2020-21 Covid-affected season at Villa Park on loan from Chelsea, scoring three goals in 24 appearances for the West Midlands club.
Barkley made 232 appearances for his boyhood club Everton before joining Chelsea for £15m in 2018. He left by mutual consent at the end of 2022-23. had a brief stint in France at Nice before returning to English football with recently-promoted Luton on a free transfer last summer.
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Barkley scored five goals and provided four assists in 32 appearances for Luton in 2023-24 but could not prevent the Kenilworth Road side suffering an immediate return to the Championship.
Villa head coach Unai Emery is known to be an admirer of Barkley and was keen to make him part of his plans as Villa prepare for Champions League football next season.
Barkley’s fine form for Luton led to talk of an England recall but he was left out of Gareth Southgate’s preliminary squad for this summer’s European Championship in Germany. He has 33 caps for England but has not represented his country since 2019.
Barkley arrives with Villa already having sold fellow midfielder Douglas Luiz to Juventus in a deal worth €50m. Tim Iroegbunam, who made nine Premier League appearances for Villa last season, has also joined Everton in a permanent deal.
Villa confirmed the arrivals of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus earlier on Monday.
(Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
