You know this very familiar phrase “player XYZ is set for medical,” or its twin “he will undergo a medical.” It means a transfer is about to happen, and in this case it’s Ross Barkley, a midfielder who has played for seven teams during his 14-year-career. Barkley, who was born in Liverpool, is most closely associated with one of his local clubs, Everton FC.
He made his senior team debut there in 2010, before going on to score 21 goals in 150 appearances with the Toffees.
Barkley is also known for his days at Chelsea (2018-2022), given the very strange manner in which he joined the club. Ross Barkley first signed with the team during the 2017 summer transfer window, but changed his mind during the medical evaluation. He got cold feet, changed his mind and went back to Everton.
He then joined Chelsea the next summer. Ross Barkley is currently with Luton Town, but the club now relegated back to the Championship, the 30-year-old needs an escape route in order to stay up in the top flight. Enter Aston Villa; Fab has more:
??? EXCL: Aston Villa have reached verbal agreement with Luton Town to sign Ross Barkley.
Understand fee will be around £5m.
Final part needed, medical tests and player’s formal signature — agreement on player side expected at the beginning of July.
Here we go, soon. ? pic.twitter.com/nDWZeokt1D
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 3, 2024
Villa Park is very familiar for Barkley, as he spent 2020-21 on loan with them.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.