Dean Smith has confirmed that no talks have taken place yet over Ross Barkley joining Aston Villa on a permanent deal.
The 26-year-old has made an immediate impression at Villa Park, having joined on loan from Chelsea in late September.
Barkley scored on his debut, in the 7-2 win over Liverpool, before proving to be the match-winner at Leicester City on Sunday night.
The midfielder’s stoppage-time strike was the only goal of the game at the King Power Stadium, as his reputation begins to grow.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Smith said there had been no progress over Barkley’s long-term future, staying relatively coy on the matter:
Nothing has been talked about. Originally, our discussion with Chelsea was to get him on loan until the end of the season and give him some minutes.
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The start that Barkley has made at Villa suggests they should try and nail him down to a permanent deal in the near future.
That may depend on whether or not Chelsea see a place for him in the team moving forward, though, but current evidence suggests he is some way down the midfield pecking in west London.
Barkley does need to keep performing at this level in order for Villa to fully trust putting their long-term faith in him – he has lacked consistency in the past – but he looks extremely happy with life at his new club, and appears to be a player really enjoying his football again.
