Aston Villa have announced the signing of Ross Barkley on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
The 26-year-old midfielder, who has been capped 33 times by England, has made 86 appearances for Chelsea since moving to Stamford Bridge from Everton in January 2018.
Barkley had featured three times for Chelsea this season, scoring once in a League Cup win over Barnsley.
🟣 #WelcomeRoss 🟣@RBarkley8 arrives at Villa Park on a season-long loan! 👊
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 30, 2020
Villa manager Dean Smith said: "Capturing a player of Ross’s quality is a real coup for our club and I am certain he will thrive here and improve our team."
Barkley will be unavailable for Thursday’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie with Stoke, having already played in the competition for Chelsea this season.
However, the former Everton midfielder could make his debut against Liverpool at Villa Park on Sunday.
Dean Smith's side have started the new Premier League campaign with wins over Sheffield United and Fulham.
Villa avoided relegation on the final day of last season but have since added Ollie Watkins, Matty Cash, Bertrand Traore and Emiliano Martinez to their squad.
Club captain Jack Grealish also signed a new contract before the start of the season to end speculation about his future.
