If Liverpool and Manchester United are after you, then you must be a good player.
And if you’re 16 years old, playing for Barcelona’s legendary ‘La Masia’ academy and about to reject the chance to go to Anfield or Old Trafford then you’re surely a future star.
Well this is what’s being said about Louie Barry, who is in that very healthy position right now.
The striker is set for a return to England with Aston Villa tipped to land him despite reported interest from Liverpool and Manchester United.
But what else is there to know about Barry? talkSPORT.com has done a little research on the starlet that everyone’s talking about.
1) He’s an England Under-17 international
Barry is rising up the ranks at England youth level and has appearances for their Under-17 squad under his belt.
He scored ten times in five games playing at a tournament for England Under-15s at a tournament in 2018 so clearly knows where the goal is.
2) He started his career at West Brom
He was at West Brom for ten years but unsurprisingly the lure of Barcelona was too much for him and he moved in the summer of 2019.
There’s a dispute between the Baggies and Barca surrounding his fee as the Spanish giants are understood to have not paid the £235,000 the two clubs agreed yet. The matter has been reported to FIFA.
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3) He first made it into West Brom’s Under-23 squad aged just 15
There was clearly a lot of faith in Barry at West Brom when he was included in the squad for their EFL Trophy clash against Blackpool last season.
But as you’ll see later, Barcelona have showed faith in him too.
4) He’s been described as ‘one of the best young players in English football’
This was how Barcelona described Barry when they signed him from West Brom.
No wonder loads of clubs are after him.
5) He was linked with Paris Saint-Germain before joining Barcelona
Well, he wasn’t just linked with the French giants.
Barry is understood to have had a medical with PSG before Barcelona swooped in and convinced the player that Spain was the better option.
6) He’s the first ever English player to join Barcelona’s ‘La Masia’ academy
The likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta have walked through the doors at Barca’s famed academy.
And Barry is the first English player to join up, so there’s no doubting he has bags of potential.
7) He has represented Barcelona at Under-19 level aged 16
Barry was fast-tracked into the squad three years above his age group which demonstrates the faith they have in him.
He featured in all three of their UEFA Youth League fixtures this season.
8) He’s eligible to play his international football with the Republic of Ireland
There will no doubt be a tug of war for his international allegiances too much like there’s been for Declan Rice and Jack Grealish.
Barry is playing for England right now but has represented the Republic of Ireland as an Under-16.
