According to ESPN, Aston Villa have reportedly reached an agreement with Barcelona for their starlet Louie Barry, who arrived in Catalonia only recently.

What's the word, then?

Barry was supposed to be a big star at the Camp Nou one day.

The club even dubbed him "one of the best young players in English football" back when he signed from West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2019.

But now, he seems to be on his way to Aston Villa in a €3m (£2.5m) deal as his adventure in the Catalan capital was not nearly what he imagined. The same source states that he's yet to finish 90 minutes in a single game.

With his family being lifelong Villa supporters, the youngster himself prefers a transfer there, regardless of the fact that clubs like Manchester United and Liverpool were also on the prowl, ESPN understands.

But for Barcelona, this has turned into a case of another superstar failing under their watch and it's starting to become a worrying trend.

Another one bites the dust

Even though he was not exactly groomed in the famous La Masia, Barry was very much a big talent that was supposed to blossom under the Catalans' watchful eye.

But instead, he's become another victim of broken promises and wasted opportunities. ESPN states Barry indeed feels he's been let down, having been given assurances over game-time in a central attacking position.

Some of the most recent starlets to have left the club for various reasons include the likes of Xavi Simmons, who departed for Paris Saint-Germain, Eric Garcia, who left for Manchester City, and Takefusa Kubo, who was a victim of Barcelona's transfer ban and ended up at Real Madrid.

Barry is now set to go down a similar route.

Red Herring or Real Hero: Only hardcore Villa fans will get all of them right....

But this is not nearly the end of the list as the likes of Dani Olmo, Andre Onana, Jordi Mboula and Alex Grimaldo could also be mentioned as failed projects who ended up blossoming elsewhere.

ESPN states that Barcelona have also been in a dispute with the player's former club, West Brom.

It seems that the Catalans have still not paid the development rights the English side believe they are due and FIFA might end up intervening.

Either way, the Blaugrana's inability to match the needs of their players, offer them sufficient game time and keep their promises is a worrying trend.

But Aston Villa can rejoice - Barry is clearly a promising talent purely based on the nature of the clubs who have been coveting his services, and if the reported price of just €3m (£2.5m) is true, this is indeed a huge deal for them.

In other news, many Aston Villa fans were raging at the sheer thought of being linked with the "worst striker in the league"...