CHELSEA and Aston Villa will wait until the end of the season before deciding whether to make Ross Barkley’s move permanent.
The 27-year-old was struggling for game time at Stamford Bridge and joined the Villans on a season-long loan in September.
Barkley made an impressive start to life under Dean Smith before he suffered a hamstring injury in November.
He was back with a bang against Southampton last Friday as he headed home the only goal of the game.
That was his first 90 minutes for over three months and Villa will be hoping his return can help them mount a charge towards European qualification.
However, boss Smith insists no talks have yet been held over potentially signing him full-time.
He said: “There have never been any discussions.
“We contacted Chelsea at the start of the season about taking him on loan and we are thankful they allowed it.
“He is playing football, playing with a smile on his face and enjoying it at the moment.”
And BirminghamLive claims both the player and club are ‘happy to assess the situation’ at the end of the season.
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England international Barkley still has over two years left on his contract at Stamford Bridge.
And he could be given a fresh opportunity in West London during pre-season under new Blues boss Thomas Tuchel.
Barkley and Villa are next in action tomorrow when they host fellow European hopefuls West Ham.
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