Aston Villa are interested in bringing Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley back to Villa Park, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The Lowdown: Barkley’s loan spell

Barkley, who was hailed by his former boss Frank Lampard for his ‘complete’ role with Chelsea and described by Harry Redknapp as a player who 'has everything', spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Villa.

Reports suggested that Villa paid an £11m loan fee for the 28-year-old, who made 24 Premier League appearances in the Midlands, scoring three times and providing one assist under Dean Smith.

Barkley is still under contract with Chelsea but appears to be surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, and it seems as if a return to Villa Park could be a possibility.

The Latest: Villa keen on Barkley

Phillips provided an update regarding Barkley’s future when speaking to GiveMeSport in a story shared on Saturday evening. .

He said that ‘a lot’ of clubs are keen on Barkley’s services, including Villa, as he stated:

“With Ross Barkley, he’s got a lot of other clubs interested in him at the moment so it’s not just Everton. He’s got Brighton, Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa and Celtic. So got plenty of options to go to.”

The Verdict: One to watch?

Ashley Preece believes that Villa will step up their efforts to sign a new midfielder after Carney Chukwuemeka left for Chelsea, so Barkley may well prove to be that man.

While the 28-year-old didn’t have the best of loan spells in the Midlands, working under a new manager in Gerrard may bring out a different side to the midfielder, who has plenty of Premier League experience.

You’d expect that Barkley would be able to play in multiple roles in Gerrard’s system, either as an attack-minded midfielder or in a box-to-box role, so this could be one to watch closely.