The controversial 34-year-old had his Glasgow Rangers contract terminated on Thursday afternoon.
The Birmingham Mail claim that Aston Villa are unlikely to make a move for free agent Joey Barton, following news that a settlement to terminate the 34-year-old’s Glasgow Rangers contract with immediate effect had been reached on Thursday afternoon.
Former Burnley stalwart Barton only joined Rangers during the summer transfer window, however the notoriously divisive midfielder was involved in a heated confrontation with Gers boss Mark Warburton and teammate Andy Halliday following September’s humiliating 5-1 defeat to arch-rivals Celtic, with the club moving to suspend the outspoken Englishman in the wake of the unsavoury altercation.
Although Barton harboured hopes that the club would grant him an opportunity to make amends for his indiscretions by making a fist of his new career in Glasgow, Rangers ordered the former Manchester City academy graduate to train with their under-20’s squad after his suspension was lifted last week, and the midfielder’s contract was terminated on Thursday after a week of negotiations between the club and the player’s representatives.
A host of Championship sides are rumoured to be interested in making a move to acquire Barton’s services following news of his swift exit from Ibrox, however the Birmingham Mail claim that Villa will prioritise other midfield targets over making any sort of move for the veteran 34-year-old.
Aston Villa are unbeaten in five-games since Steve Bruce replaced Roberto Di Matteo in the Villa Park hot-seat last month, and with the squad’s previously sparse morale finally on the rise, the former Hull City manager may feel it would be unwise to bring in an individual as volatile as Barton.
Though Villa’s dreadful start to life in the Championship left them languishing towards the foot of the table, their recent resurgence under Bruce has propelled them up into mid-table, and they currently sit just five-points behind a play-off spot, showing that they certainly should not be written off this season.
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