Aston Villa are reportedly ‘waiting in the wings’ to sign Joey Barton from Rangers.
According to The Mirror, Aston Villa will be competing with Burnley for the signature of Rangers midfielder Joey Barton during the January transfer window.
Barton, 34, has endured a tumultuous season, much like most of his career. After being billed as Rangers’ marquee summer signing following their promotion to the Scottish Premiership, Barton struggled in his first eight games – and hasn’t played since the 5-1 defeat to Celtic on September the 10th.
Joey Barton applauds fans as he is substituted
The reason for his absence is that he was involved in a training ground bust up with manager Mark Warburton and team-mate Andy Halliday, and had been suspended for over six weeks before returning to Rangers last week.
Barton is only permitted to train with the academy, and on Tuesday evening, The Scottish Sun reported that Rangers and Barton agreed a £250,000 pay-off, meaning Barton’s contract will be terminated immediately.
Rangers’ Joey Barton in action with Burnley’s Dean Marney
Given that he will become a free agent outside of the transfer window, Barton will be unable to sign for another club until January – but clubs are already keen to sign him.
The Mirror report that former club Burnley are interested in re-signing Barton having seen him star for the club in their promotion campaign last season.
Rangers manager Mark Warburton with’ Joey Barton at the end of the game
However, it’s also claimed that Aston Villa are ‘waiting in the wings’ to sign Barton once he’s made a free agent, with Steve Bruce looking to add some quality to his Villa side as he chases a play-off place.
Despite his struggles in Glasgow, Barton remains a hot commodity in England, and it seems that with Aston Villa and Burnley competing for his signature, the midfielder could be donning claret and blue in 2017.
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