ASTON VILLA HAVE agreed a deal to sign England youth international Louie Barry.
The 16-year-old striker, who has represented the Republic of Ireland at U16 level before switching allegiance to his country of birth, spent the past six months at Barcelona’s academy.
A Birmingham native, he joined the Catalan giants from West Brom last summer.
“It [Louie’s signing] sends a powerful message about the ambition of this football club,” Villa academy manager Mark Harrison told VillaTV.
“We’re delighted — Louie is a local person and his family are all Villa fans, as is Louie.
“He is still a very young man but as he’s developed, he’s always been one player that you always recognise as having outstanding attributes. He’s got a fantastic mentality, he’s desperate to do well for this football club.
He’s really driven, he’s got great family support, but in terms of what he can achieve, we firmly believe that he can be an outstanding number nine for this football club.”
“It’s a significant thing that we’ve done but we have to get the programmes right and the pathways right for these players,” he added.
“We’ve laid down the foundations now.
“What it does show [the Academy players representing the first team] is that with the right attitude and application, what can be achieved in a short space of time.”
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One-time Ireland underage striker leaves Barcelona's academy to sign for Aston Villa
ASTON VILLA HAVE agreed a deal to sign England youth international Louie Barry.
The 16-year-old striker, who has represented the Republic of Ireland at U16 level before switching allegiance to his country of birth, spent the past six months at Barcelona’s academy.
A Birmingham native, he joined the Catalan giants from West Brom last summer.
The BBC are reporting that Villa will pay a fee of around €1 million to secure Barry’s signature.
“It [Louie’s signing] sends a powerful message about the ambition of this football club,” Villa academy manager Mark Harrison told VillaTV.
“We’re delighted — Louie is a local person and his family are all Villa fans, as is Louie.
“He is still a very young man but as he’s developed, he’s always been one player that you always recognise as having outstanding attributes. He’s got a fantastic mentality, he’s desperate to do well for this football club.
“It’s a significant thing that we’ve done but we have to get the programmes right and the pathways right for these players,” he added.
“We’ve laid down the foundations now.
“What it does show [the Academy players representing the first team] is that with the right attitude and application, what can be achieved in a short space of time.”
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birmingham born Louie Barry Premier League Aston Villa Barcelona England Ireland Republic