Credit: Imago and Hasan Karim
Thu 8 January 2026 20:00, UK
Leon Bailey looks increasingly likely to have his loan stay with Serie A side Roma cut short during the January transfer window.
Bailey joined Roma in the summer, as it was made clear that the winger would have been unable to attain enough minutes under Unai Emery this season.
Aston Villa have fared well without the Jamaican, and although it looked like Emery may have made a mistake at first, Villa’s current position in the Premier League says otherwise.
There have been reports that Roma are unhappy with Bailey’s performances amid ongoing injury worries, with manager Gian Piero Gasperini seemingly keen on sending the forward back to B6.
It’s unlikely that the 28-year-old would get minutes under Emery in the second half of the campaign, as Aston Villa won’t have any trouble in finding Bailey a new club this month.
Credit: Breaking Media/ImagoBournemouth interested in Leon Bailey
Bailey was once one of Emery’s main forwards, particularly in the 2023-24 season, where he picked up 14 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.
Last campaign was one of the right-winger’s worst seasons for Villa since joining from Bayern Leverkusen back in 2021.
It was deemed sensible for Bailey to have an opportunity to regain form abroad, but recent reports suggest that he may only find success back in England.
According to Italian outlet Football Italia on Thursday, Bournemouth have shown an interest in signing Bailey, with Roma all for the Villa loanee’s deal being terminated.
Credit: Imago
With the Cherries set to lose Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City for £65million, Bailey could go to the Vitality Stadium as a stop-gap transfer.
Roberto Olabe will clear up Monchi’s mess
Bailey’s loan move, although he has had injuries, was another example of how Monchi was dragging Villa down with his poor handling of the summer transfer window.
The Spaniard chose the wrong club for Bailey, and ultimately, the deal has transpired to be a total waste of time for all parties.
The same can be said for Harvey Elliott, whose future at Villa Park is still unclear in the sense that it’s not known if the Liverpool loanee will stay at B6 beyond January.
Emery’s stance on Elliott is clear, he won’t play, and it all comes back around to Monchi’s decisions.
With Roberto Olabe now in charge, Villa will look to make positive strides with their transfer business once again.
Stay up to date this winter with our Aston Villa transfer tracker. Click to see every done deal at Villa Park, plus expert reaction from our team of writers.