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Fulham and Coventry in talks to sign Ross Barkley amid Aston Villa future update

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Aston Villa's Ross Barkley during training

Published Jul 19, 2026, 7:10 PM GMT+1

Dominic is a news journalist for Football FanCast, having graduated from the University of Huddersfield in 2022, achieving a first-class honours degree in Sports Journalism.

Since leaving university, Dominic has written for websites including GiveMeSport, Football FanCast, Transfer Tavern and Sports Mole, producing a variety of content from transfer news to match previews and reviews.

Dominic has previously worked in club media, working for FC Halifax Town, as well as working for The Halifax Courier, interviewing names such as Pete Wild, Gary Johnson and Phil Parkinson. Dominic has also interviewed the likes of Gus Poyet and Dean Saunders for Football FanCast.

A Tranmere fan, Dominic particularly enjoys writing about the EFL.

Fulham and Coventry City have been in talks to sign Ross Barkley, following an update on his future at Aston Villa.

Barkley has just one year remaining on his Villa contract, and it remains to be seen whether he will agree to a new deal, having only played a bit-part role over the past two Premier League seasons.

In the 2025-26 campaign, the 33-cap England international appeared for just 852 minutes across 21 appearances, after only receiving 567 minutes worth of game time in the season prior.

Given a lack of game time, the Liverpool-born maestro was unable to make a major impact last season, scoring only three goals and grabbing one assist.

However, he has previously earned major plaudits from Unai Emery, with the Villa boss saying after a victory against Leicester City in 2024: “Today I am also very happy with Ross Barkley. He was fantastic in the minutes he played."

Injuries have been a major problem for the Englishman throughout his career, missing 14 games for Villa due to a knee injury last season, while two issues caused him to be absent for 21 matches during the 2024-25 campaign.

As such, the 32-year-old could perhaps be viewed as a risky signing for either Fulham or Coventry, but that hasn't stopped them entering discussions.

Fulham and Coventry in talks to sign Ross Barkley

That is according to reporter Alan Nixon (via Coventry Telegraph), who reveals the two Premier League sides have been in negotiations to sign Barkley, but it remains possible he will remain at Villa Park.

The Villans had been willing to let the midfielder leave, but they are now considering keeping hold of him, with Emery now 'ready' to convince him to extend his stay in the Midlands.

However, the former Everton man wants more game time, so it remains unclear whether he will be willing to agree a contract extension.

What's the state of play on Ross Barkley leaving Aston Villa?

Villa considering keeping hold of him

Barkley wants more game time

Fulham and Coventry City keen

With the central midfielder only receiving limited game time last season, it perhaps would've made sense to sanction a summer departure. However, Villa are considering performing a U-turn and keeping hold of him beyond the summer.
That said, it remains to be seen whether Barkley will be willing to stay. Although Emery wants to keep him, and the allure of playing in the Champions League could be persuasive, he needs to be playing regular football at this stage of his career.
Should the Villa midfielder decide to move on, he should have the option to remain in the Premier League. That is because both Coventry and Fulham have been in talks. On the face of it, a move to Craven Cottage could be more appealing, considering Alvaro Arbeloa's side are more established as a Premier League club.