Ross Barkley’s future is at Chelsea with deal for only one-year loan, confirms Dean Smith

Ross Barkley’s performances have not been up the mark that he had set for him at the start of the season with injuries affecting but more than that, the midfielder has been an inconsistent performer. Despite an electric start to the season, the Chelsea loanee has seen game time severely limited in the latter half of the season with him usually making a cameo as a substitute.

Although reports suggest that Barkley might be returning to Chelsea on the completion of his loan move, nothing has been finalised yet. But in after yet another question about Barkley's future at Villa, Dean Smith revealed that the midfielder's future is at Chelsea as the deal was always for a one year loan move. The Villa boss further added that keeping him beyond his expected tenure would be incorrect as the initial negotiations were only for a year and he has two years left on his Chelsea deal.

"He started the season like a house on fire, then, with the Covid break after his injury, he’s probably been as inconsistent as we have as a team.But his future for the next two years is at Chelsea and we haven’t had any discussions about that and I think it would be wrong to do so, since it was a one-year loan,” Smith said, reported the Birmingham Live.

"We never really had any decision to make. He’s got two years left on his Chelsea contract, I believe. The deal was always to bring him in for the season. We wanted a high-calibre player on loan to add to our quality that we’d signed permanently."