Football
Louie Barry Permanent Move Plan Grows as Stockport Eye Championship Return
Stockport County v Stevenage - Sky Bet League One Play-Off Semi-Final Second Leg by Alex Livesey | Getty Images
Stockport will ramp up efforts to make Aston Villa loan striker Louie Barry a permanent signing if they beat Bolton Wanderers in the SkyBet League One play-off final on May 24, SportsBoom can exclusively reveal.
Barry scored the first of his side’s two goals in Wednesday night’s semi-final 2-0 victory over Stevenage (3-0 on aggregate) to take Dave Challinor’s team back to Wembley for a second time this season.
The 22-year-old goal machine is currently enjoying his third loan spell at Edgeley Park from Villa and is understood to chomping at the bit to showcase his talent in the Championship.
Indeed, he has been a nomadic figure since moving to Villa Park in 2020 after an unlikely stint in Spain with Barcelona’s youth team.
RIGHT PRICE
Barry is contracted to the Premier League side until June 2028. However, Villa are believed to be open to releasing the one-time West Brom Academy starlet subject to the right price.
He was an FA Youth Cup winner with Villa and as a 17-year-old played and scored in a 4-1 FA Cup third round defeat at Liverpool.
But he hasn’t appeared in a top flight fixture for the West Midlanders; embarking on a succession of loans, initially at Ipswich Town.
Since then, he has moved on to Swindon, Milton Keynes and Salford. In the summer of 2023, he made his first move to Stockport, signing for the season.
He also started 2023/2024 at Edgeley Park and returned for the 2024-25 scoring 15 times in 23 league games for the Hatters.
SPIRITUAL HOME
Barry’s first taste of Championship action came during a loan spell at Hull City in the second half of the 2025 campaign.
The Tigers had intended to sign him for a reported £3.5 million fee but the move fell through.
Barry then linked up with Sheffield United before moving back to spiritual home Stockport, for whom he has netted 29 times, in February of this year. That contrasts with only nine in total for his other clubs.
Too good for League One, a Championship career with Stockport beckons depending on the Hatters’ Wembley success.
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Having written for national newspapers and respected publications for 25 years, Neil brings a wealth of experience as both a writer and journalist. In the past three years, he has done freelance work for BBC Sport.