EPL: England Star, Ross Barkley Returns To Aston Villa

Aston Villa revealed on Monday that Ross Barkley, an England international, has once again become a part of their team.

Sportxparte reports that the former Everton and Chelsea midfielder has made a permanent return to Villa from relegated Luton, where he had previously played on loan and made 24 appearances for the Birmingham club during the 2020/21 season.

“Aston Villa is delighted to announce the signing of Ross Barkley from Luton Town,” the club announced in a statement on Monday.

Aston Villa, however, did not give further details on the length of the player’s contract or a transfer fee.

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It is worth noting that Barkley’s arrival at Villa Park was confirmed following the announcement earlier on Monday that the club had secured the services of Juventus players Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea for a total of 22 million euros (£18.6 million, $23.6 million).

As stated by the Italian club, iling-Junior, a 20-year-old English forward, was acquired for a fee of 14 million euros plus an additional three million euros in potential add-ons.

Meanwhile, Argentine midfielder Barrenechea, 23, was signed for eight million euros with an extra three million euros in add-ons.

The duo arrived shortly after the news broke that Douglas Luiz was transferring from Birmingham to Turin, with the Brazilian midfielder inking a five-year contract with Juventus valued at a reported £42.3 million.

Barrenechea began his career in Argentina before moving to Swiss side Sion, while London-born defender Iling-Junior progressed through Chelsea’s academy before representing England at the Under-21 level.

Villa, who finished fourth in the Premier League last season and secured a spot in the Champions League, had to adhere to the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) set by the Premier League, prompting manager Unai Emery to agree to Luiz’s departure.

During the off-season, Villa had already sold Tim Iroegbunam to Everton for £9 million, and Chelsea paid £19 million for Omari Kellyman.