Celtic ready action to beat Leeds United, Sunderland in Aston Villa chase | OneFootball

Louie Barry is attracting attention from the Scottish giants despite serious interest from the second-tier

Scottish Premiership champions Celtic have reportedly joined the likes of Leeds United and Sunderland in the race to sign Aston Villa starlet Louie Barry this month.

Barry was an absolute hit on loan at League One outfit Stockport County in the first half of this season, and his performances did not go unnoticed by Villa, who have recalled him to reportedly send him back out to a higher-placed EFL side.

The 21-year-old forward registered 16 goals and three assists in 24 games in his time at Edgeley Park as his impressive form saw him win the League One Player of the Month award for both August and November, with numerous second-tier suitors alerted to his potential availability as a result, and Celtic now also claimed to be interested in a move.

Celtic join hotly-contested Louie Barry chase

According to a new report from Football Insider, Celtic are eyeing a potential swoop for Villa youngster Barry this month, with the Scottish giants claimed to be keen to sign the 21-year-old on a permanent basis, rather than on loan.

Whether the Villans would be open to a permanent sale of Barry is unclear, but boss Unai Emery did reveal last week that the club are set to conjure up a "new plan" for him in the coming weeks.

However, it does seem unlikely that they would want to let him go for good, considering his clear potential to get even better in the years to come, and the queue of clubs that has reportedly formed to take him on loan until the end of the season.

Louie Barry is a wanted man in the Championship

Barry's form has seemingly alerted numerous second-tier clubs to his potential availability after Birmingham World revealed in November that Villa believe that he would be better suited to a loan in the Championship, with second-tier Middlesbrough understood to be monitoring his availability ahead of the new year.

He has since been recalled to Villa Park, and the race for his signature has certainly not slowed down, with the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Derby County named in the race for his services, while TEAMtalk have previously claimed that Stoke City are interested in making a move alongside the likes of QPR, Sheffield United and Coventry City.

The list of his suitors has only continued to grow, with Hull City and Millwall also both reported to be interested in bringing him in on a loan deal, while TEAMtalk claim that Leeds United remain interested in a move for Louie Barry, though the player has indicated he may favour a move to Sunderland instead.

It is clear that the 21-year-old can pretty much take his pick as to which club he wants to spend the next few months developing at in England, but he could possibly favour a completely fresh start north of the border with Celtic, who are able to offer Champions League football, as well as the chance to win trophies regularly.