£21.6m deal – Aston Villa star ‘ready’ for exit

Published August 20, 2025 at 9:07 am

Written by Aryann Gupta

Italian giants, AS Roma, are in a prime position to land Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey. Roma are closing in on a loan move for the 28-year-old Jamaican.

The Athletic claims that the two negotiating parties have agreed on principle over the loan switch of Leon Bailey. The Italian side will also reserve the option to buy the player at the end of the loan move.

Unai Emery’s team are entitled to receive £2.6 million as a loan fee. Should AS Roma exercise their option to buy the winger at the end of the season, they will have to fork out £19 million.

The transfer details

The Villans were initially determined to include a compulsory clause to buy at the end of the loan. However, as the talks progressed, it was agreed mutually to include an option for AS Roma to buy the winger.

The player jetted off to Rome earlier this week and was scheduled to undergo a medical today. Post the completion of the formalities, it is expected that an official announcement will be made regarding the same.

Numerous clubs from the Saudi Pro League were keen on securing the services of the Jamaican international. AS Roma also fended off interest from Turkish sides, including Besiktas, to emerge victorious in this transfer battle.

In a busy summer at AS Roma, Bailey will join the team as their 7th recruit for the season. Brighton and Hove Albion’s Evan Ferguson also joined the Giallorossi this summer.

Read about Everton and Newcastle United’s interest in this Aston Villa star

Troubled times at Villa Park

Leon Bailey arrived at Aston Villa in the summer of 2021 for £30 million from Bayer Leverkusen. The club had just completed the big money sale of Jack Grealish to Manchester City and were seeking replacements.

Across the seasons Bailey has enjoyed at Aston Villa, he has scored 22 goals and provided 24 assists in as many as 144 appearances. The player’s form and game time have consistently diminished in the past two seasons. Injuries and poor form have not been his best friends either.

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Unai Emery was extremely selective in offering game time to Bailey last season. The player managed only 24 appearances for the Villans, and only 14 of them were a part of the starting eleven.

A loan move away to Serie A does seem like the best move for improving Bailey’s career trajectory. In a relatively relaxed setting, Bailey could prosper and thrive once again.