Premier League club rejects £10m bid for 'fantastic' QPR, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United target

The future of rising Aston Villa star Louie Barry remains up in the air this month following his recall from Stockport County with fresh reports suggesting the Premier League side have rejected a £10 million bid for the 21-year-old.

Barry plundered 15 League One goals over the first half of the season on his loan spell with the Hatters. The forward was then brought back to Villa Park early with it expected that Unai Emery would allow the player to join a Championship side for the back end of the campaign and continue his progress up the leagues.

TeamTALK had named QPR as one of several second tier clubs looking at a move for Barry. Sheffield United, Coventry City Middlesbrough and Stoke City were also credited with interest in December.

Celtic bid £10 million for Aston Villa star

Scottish Premiership giants Celtic then joined the transfer race this month  and appeared to have both the advantage of offering top flight football, and a financial backing that could tempt Villa to include an option to buy. The Daily Mail reported that two bids were sent to Villa Park by Celtic, the latter being worth £10 million in total.

A buy-back clause is believed to have been included in those offers, to sweeten the deal for Aston Villa, but it has still not been enough to convince the club to sanction an exit. French outfit RC Lens are also believed to have made a bid, their offer being around £6 million. A permanent exit for Barry remains unlikely but there will still be hope from several suitors that a loan deal can be given the green light.

Unai Emery on Louie Barry plans

Villa handed Barry a new contract before sending him out on loan to Stockport County in the summer. Speaking about the player, Unai Emery said recently: "He is really performing very well, last year, this year. He did pre-season [with Villa] and we want to introduce him again with us here and to take again another decision with him. But he has potential.

"We are happy with him. If he can help us, he will do it. But in case, his progression is better to go on loan and to play more and more and get minutes and confidence, playing at a higher level than he played, of course, is the plan with him. We are going to decide again with him, but his potential is exploiting and really being fantastic for him, for the club, as our player. And then we are going to decide."

It's not the first winger that QPR have been linked with this January with Kader Dembele suffering from a long term injury. The R's are said to be weighing up a move for Crystal Palace midfielder Jeffrey Schlupp, but aren't the only Championship club to be doing so.

The former Premier League winner is out of contract at the end of the season and Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner had hinted at a possible exit before he can leave as a free agent. However, fresh reports this week suggest that it is Coventry City in pole position.