Sheffield Wednesday are on the cusp of signing Louie Barry on a permanent basis after advancing their interest in the winger.

The Aston Villa prospect has been handed a string of loan moves away from the West Midlands over the past few years, and most recently mounted a return from injury with a half-season loan at Stockport County.

Owls Secure Major Coup

A new winger has been on the cards for Henrik Pedersen’s side this window, having pursued, and lost, the race to sign Colchester United’s Kyreece Lisbie, who ended up moving to their League One rivals in Reading for a six-figure fee.

Now, according to Sam Byrne of the Manchester Evening News, Wednesday are now set to sign Barry on a permanent basis from Aston Villa, with the Europa League champions allowing him to walk two years after his most recent contract extension.

His report follows an article from the Sheffield Star, which revealed that the Owls were accelerating their efforts to sign the 23-year-old, which would reunite him with former County Sporting Director Simon Wilson at Hillsborough.

It is believed that this deal will see a moderate initial fee paid to Villa, with sizable bonuses added on should promotions be achieved by the club in the coming years.

Last summer saw a permanent move for Barry fall through, with Hull City poised to sign him for £3.5 million with a sell-on clause. However, that move collapsed late on due to the Tigers’ inability to meet the financial package, allowing Sheffield United to swoop for a loan deal.

A major leg injury curtailed the former Barcelona prospect’s stint at Bramall Lane, and after recovery was sent to Stockport County for his third temporary spell at Edgeley Park.

Bryne reports that the Hatters, now under the management of Jim McNulty, were not interested in another move for their talismanic winger, having already secured the services of Barnet’s Ryan Glover last month.

Pivotal Signing For Wednesday

Louie Barry marks an exciting signing and one of their most important moves of the window thus far for Sheffield Wednesday, as they look to restructure their playing staff now that David Storch has taken custody in South Yorkshire.

A goal-scoring winger that can also play in a more central role, the 23-year-old will be vital to the attacking chances of the Owls, and should they finally get a new striker over the line, that should hand Pedersen a dangerous duo to spearhead their efforts next season.

While he is still on the road to recovery following his major injury during last season, his late-season appearances for Stockport County were encouraging that he can get back to where he was during his opening spell at the Hatters.

The only concern is that while a terrific player, it is only at Edgeley Park where he has thrived, with his loan spell at Hull City, Sheffield United and to a lesser extent, Salford City being underwhelming.

Nevertheless, if they can get a tune out of Barry on the other side of the Steel City divide, his efforts could be the difference maker between a hard-fought fight for a playoff place and an automatic promotion challenge come May.