Chelsea reluctant to sell Barkley ‘on the cheap’; Aston Villa looking at other options — reports

Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley has made quite the impact since joining Aston Villa on loan in the summer, leading to almost immediate murmurs about his temporary move being turned into a permanent one.

However, without a buy-option in the loan deal, Villa will need to negotiate with Chelsea. And, according to Birmingham Mail, Chelsea will not let the 27-year-old leave on the cheap. Barkley will still have two years left on his contract in the summer, and considering the level of his performances before his hamstring injury, there’s no reason we should think about a cut-price deal.

Barkley’s probable asking price along with his £100k+ weekly wages will apparently be a problem for Villa, especially in light of the COVID-affected financial climate. As a result, according to the Mirror, Villa have started exploring alternative options in 23-year-old David Brooks and 19-year-old Michael Olise. They are both much younger, and in all likelihood, much cheaper to obtain than Barkley.

While this could be a blow to Barkley’s chances of staying at Villa, if he can show his pre-injury form once he recovers, there’s no doubt that he’ll find plenty of other suitors.