Aston Villa fans, despite watching their team get turned over 5-0 on the final day of the Premier League at the hands of Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace, will be overjoyed at how this season has played out.
Unai Emery has managed to steer the Villans to Champions League football, beating the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur for a seat at the elite table next campaign.
All of the mad success on the pitch doesn't necessarily mean everyone will want to stay put this summer in Emery's camp, however, with Douglas Luiz always rumoured to be moving away when a transfer window is in full swing. Indeed Arsenal have begun to show interest once more in Villa's Brazilian midfield star.
The powers that be at Villa Park clearly know there will be a midfield gap to fill soon, with the West Midlands club getting closer and closer to bringing in a replacement to soften the blow of Luiz potentially exiting this summer.
Aston Villa close to signing Premier League revelation
It looks as if a deal for Emery's newly adopted Champions League side to sign Luton Town midfielder Ross Barkley is all but complete, with Football Insider revealing this weekend that a deal is now done for Villa to sign the former Everton man who has previously been on the books at Villa Park during his up-and-down career.
Reigniting his career with Luton Town this season after a forgettable stint at Chelsea, popping up with 11 goals and assists even as the Hatters fell back down to the Championship, Barkley's stock has risen which has seen Eddie Howe's Magpies also circle to try and win his coveted services according to reports.
Yet, it looks as if the pull of Champions League football has been a major factor in the 30-year-old wanting to relocate from Kenilworth Road to Villa Park after being a revelation this season for Rob Edwards' valiant outfit.
How Barkley compares to Luiz
Barkley's rumoured addition to the Villa ranks could well stick a plaster on the big gaping wound of Luiz potentially leaving for the Emirates Stadium, therefore, with the ex-Toffees homegrown product showing off his ability to play dirty and gritty for Luton in midfield this campaign in a basement battle alongside his knack for setting up and scoring goals when needed.
Stat – per 90 mins
Barkley
Luiz
Non-penalty goals
0.20
0.18
Non-penalty xG
0.15
0.12
Shots total
2.30
1.37
Shot creating actions
3.76
3.53
Progressive passes
5.66
5.08
Progressive carries
1.70
1.84
Successful take-ons
2.27
0.70
Tackles
1.67
1.75
Interceptions
0.70
0.90
Clearances
1.70
0.55
Aerials won
1.40
0.73
Stats by FBRef
Despite the 30-year-old fan favourite at Kenilworth Road operating mainly as an attacking midfielder, as opposed to Luiz slotting into a defensive midfield spot from time to time, Barkley betters Luiz in certain aspects of his defensive game as can be seen glancing at the table above.
Now, you may well argue that Luton had a lot more defensive work to do in 2023/24 but Barkley – whose form was "unbelievable" in the eyes of Andros Townsend – also comes out on top in some key offensive metrics, such as progressive passing and take-ons.
Thus, Barkley's addition to the Villa ranks would make the West Midlands side become a bigger threat in the final third, with the ex-Chelsea man blowing his South American counterpart out of the water in their comparative attacking numbers when also looking at the table.
Ollie Watkins should be purring at the thought of having the experienced and skilful Barkley next to him, able to score even more goals next season with an assist master supplying countless chances, after just bagging 27 strikes in all competitions.
Able to get Barkley for cheap presumably too, with Luton slipping back down to the second tier, it feels like a no-brainer move to get done quickly especially if Luiz ends up heading for the exit door.
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