Stockport County owner makes exciting Louie Barry claim amid Aston Villa talks | OneFootball

Stockport County owner Mark Stott has claimed that the club are "really trying" to negotiate a permanent deal for Aston Villa forward Louie Barry.

The reveal came as part of an in-depth interview given by the 52-year-old to County's in-house media team which was uploaded to the club's official channels.

Barry spent this season on loan at Edgeley Park and quickly became a fan favourite despite his temporary status at the club.

Reports had already surfaced that Stockport are keen on bringing the young forward back to SK3 permanently, but Stott's confirmation now solidifies the existence of ongoing talks between the parties.

Stott confirms Barry chase

With the former Barcelona youth product hitting scintillating form during his brief spell with County, before being heavily interrupted by injury, it was expected that the Premier League loanee would be looking at a step further up the pyramid, potentially to the Championship, but Stott appears convinced he can bring the 20-year-old back into the County fold.

The owner told Stockport County's official YouTube channel: “We’re really trying. You know, Louie and his dad, I’ve spoke to both of them the night of the promotion party. He loves it.

“They’ll be Championship clubs looking for Louie. I’d like to buy Louie. At his age, with his talent, that’s the type of player that can unlock real value.

“I’d love to sign him and say he’d be here forever, but we should be signing Louie Barry and giving him the platform to become a Premier League player in the future, and we should capitalise on that value, share some of that with Aston Villa, and that should be the model.

“So, watch this space. He’s back training with Villa at the moment with the first team.

“But yeah, I’d love to have Louie in the building for the next few years.”

Stockport have a strong record on landmark signings

Barry helped the Hatters achieve promotion to the third tier during his time with the club, so a return to Edgeley Park would still be an advance on last season, but even with that in mind, a permanent deal for a player with such strong prospects seemed ambitious.

However, Stott is an ambitious owner, as proven by last season's successful move for Nick Powell, showing that, along with director of football Simon Wilson, the pair can land statement signings.

Even before Powell, the club had managed to attract Fleetwood Town's Paddy Madden and former Bolton Wanderers captain Antoni Sarcevic from League One as a National League outfit.

The deal for Barry would not come cheap, but sealing the purchase of the Villa star would be a strong signal of intent not only for the coming season, but also for the years ahead.

Barry would be vital in a League One play-off charge

County fans will still be riding high on the back of the club's recent League Two triumph, but Stott is already looking at the next step forward for the Hatters.

A calm mid-table finish in the third tier would likely be enough to satisfy supporters, but the County custodian revealed in the same interview that he wants the team to aim for a play-off spot in League One.

That would be a tough ask, and he recognised that Wilson and the football side of the operation are likely to peg their ambitions closer to a top-10 finish, but if he wants to make a quick dart through the third tier, then signings like Barry are going to be necessary.

The youngster scored nine goals and four assists in 20 league appearances last year, but it was his ability to dribble past players and create chances from nothing that caught the eye and offered something different to what was already available in the squad.

It would be an ambitious move, but Stott has now confirmed it is one he is determined to make. Based on County's track record in the market, you won't find many willing to bet against them landing their target.