Football
Exclusive: Aston Villa Back Ross Barkley’s Resurgence with Plan to Trigger Contract Extension
Aston Villa is set to activate Ross Barkley's one-year contract extension despite his battle with alcohol. The midfielder, focused on securing a regular starting role, aims to make the most of the remaining years in his football career. Villa signed Barkley in 2024 on a two-year deal with the option for a third, showing faith in his potential for a bright future.
Aston Villa v Bournemouth - Premier League by Ben Roberts - Danehouse | Getty Images
Aston Villa are prepared to trigger the one-year extension in Ross Barkley’s contract, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
A decision that reflects both the club’s faith in the midfielder and the positive steps he has taken in his personal and professional life.
The former England international recently shared that he has chosen to stop drinking alcohol, a lifestyle change he made over the summer as he focused on protecting his wellbeing and prolonging his career. Barkley has spoken openly about the challenges he faced and the work he has put in to re-establish healthy habits.
At 31, he has steadily worked his way back into the Villa first team. While a first Premier League start of the season is still to come, Barkley has featured as a substitute in all five of the top-flight matches for which he has been selected.
His performances off the bench have been increasingly influential, highlighted by a composed finish in Villa’s impressive 4-0 home victory over Bournemouth. Now, with a renewed sense of stability on and off the pitch, the 33-cap international is fully focused on earning a regular starting role at Villa Park as the season progresses.
“I’m a dad now; I’ve got more responsibilities,” revealed Barkley in a recent interview.
“I’ve got maybe four, five, six or seven years left in football, so I want to make the most of that. Alcohol, for most people, can create problems — I’ve recognised that now."
“Without drinking, it doesn’t create any situations. You can be clear-minded every day and it doesn’t affect you mentally. There are a lot of benefits to not doing that."
“I’m planning on going without alcohol throughout (the rest of) my career. It has created situations I don’t really want happening anymore.”
BRIGHT FUTURE
The former Chelsea, Leeds United and Everton man believes he has as many seven years left in football, with as many as them hopefully at the top level.
Barkley joined Villa from Luton Town, who were relegated from the Premier League that season, in July 2024 on a two-year deal with the option of a third if the club choose to trigger it.
A fee of £5million was muted, which is one of the reasons why Villa are keen to make sure they capitalise on the cash they have splashed out.
The midfielder had eight seasons with Everton, with four of them as a mainstay of the Toffees’ side in the Premier League.
A high-profile £15million move to Chelsea followed, but Barkley managed just 58 Premier League games across five seasons in the top-flight.
His loan move to Villa in the 2020-21 won him many fans, with a permanent move coming three years later following his exit from the Hatters after just one season.
In other Aston Villa news, the club are exploring the option of paying a penalty fee to cancel their obligation to buy Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, with the midfielder yet to fully convince Unai Emery.
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.