Aston Villa’s Louie Barry. (Photo by Christian Hofer/Getty Images)
Leeds United may have the upper hand in the race to sign Aston Villa striker Louie Barry on loan in January, according to reports.
Barry enjoyed an impressive first half of the season on loan with League One side Stockport County, scoring 15 goals and providing three assists in 22 appearances in all competitions.
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That’s because he scored nine goals and provided four assists in 20 League Two outings to help the Hatters win the title and gain promotion last season.
However, Barry will play just two more games for Stockport, who are fifth in League One, before Aston Villa recall him at the start of January.
Villa will assess Barry before deciding his next steps, but the player himself believes he has “earned” the chance to compete with Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran in Unai Emery’s squad.
“The main goal now is to get back to Villa and I think I’ve earned it now,” he said. “It’s about showing them what I can do when I come back and hopefully progress. That’s the number one goal.”
Louie Barry: Leeds get boost in pursuit of Villa youngster
Recent reports (via Leeds United news) have linked a number of Championship clubs with a January loan move for Barry.
Sheffield United, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and Leeds are among those with rumored interest.
However, Boro’s interest is not believed to be that concrete, which may give Leeds an advantage in the race to sign Barry, especially as Sheffield United have Kieffer Moore and Tyrese Campbell at their disposal and the form of Sunderland have been inconsistent of late.
Barry’s final two games for Stockport will come at Huddersfield Town and Rotherham United on Christmas Day and December 29 respectively.
