The Athletic's resident renowned English Aston Villa team correspondent Jacon Tanswell, exclusively reported on Tuesday that the club has recalled on-loan Jamaica international winger Leon Bailey from Roma.

According to Tanswell, due to Bailey's numerous injuries and limited playing time in the first half of the season, Villa decided to recall him early to avoid hindering his career progression.

Meanwhile, as the club is facing a severe injury crisis, manager Unai Emery decided to recall him as a contingency measure.

It's worth mentioning that because Bailey initially joined Roma on-loan with an option to buy, and Villa did not have a clause allowing them to recall the player earlier for free, the club specifically paid a multi-million pound release clause to bring him back.

However, this is not the only reason for Aston Villa's sudden decision to recall Bailey. Tanswell's colleague, David Ornstein, added that it also involves matters related to Financial Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Ornstein said, due to having too many transfers between Roma and Aston Villa this season, both clubs are under scrutiny by their respective leagues for potential PSR violation. To avoid further suspicion, Villa had to recall Bailey early.

Netherlands international forward Donyell Malen joined Roma on-loan with a conditional buy option, becoming the second player to join I Giallorossi on-loan this season.

Villa is also currently in renewed talks with the I Giallorossi regarding the transfer of England international striker Tammy Abraham.

On another note, Ornstein also mentioned that the early termination of the loan agreement for England U21 international attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott has stalled due to procedural issues.

He revealed that Liverpool only have one registration spot left for their first-team, and the need to choose between recalling Elliott and signing a new centre-back, thus the Reds, the player, and Aston Villa are currently facing a dilemma.

Regardless, Bailey is currently preparing to fly back to England. If all registration procedures can be completed in the coming days, he is expected to play for Villa again in this weekend's crucial match against Newcastle United.

About Leon Bailey

The 28-year-old Leon Bailey was born on August 9, 1997, in Kingston, Jamaica. He is 1.78 meters tall and primarily plays as a right winger, but can also play as a left winger.

Bailey played for his adoptive father's football academy in Jamaica during his childhood. In 2011, he went to Europe for trials with his adoptive brother Kyle Butler, and his outstanding performances attracted interest from Genk, Standard Liège, and Ajax.

However, due to Bailey's young age, which violated FIFA transfer regulations, he had to wait until he was 13 to be allowed to join the youth academy of RB Leipzig's satellite club, Liefering.

In 2013, Bailey moved to the Trenčín youth academy, but in 2015 he joined Genk, reuniting with Kyle.

In August of the same year, Bailey completed his Genk his first-team by coming on as a substitute.

During his two-year spell with Genk, Bailey won the Belgian Young Player of the Year award once and received the UEFA Europa League Goal of the Year award for his goal against Rapid Vienna in September 2016.

In January 2017, Bayer Leverkusen beat out numerous Premier League giants, including Manchester United, Chelsea, and Liverpool, to sign Bailey for €20 million.

During his five-year spell with Die Werkself, Bailey's outstanding performances often led to speculation that he could be naturalized as an England international, but all that came to an abrupt end in 2019 when he agreed to represent Jamaica.

In August 2021, Bailey joined Aston Villa for £30 million.

Since joining the Villans, Bailey has participated in the Champions League once, even breaking the tournament's record by becoming the first Jamaican player to score and assist in the competition.

In August 2025, Bailey joined Roma on-loan with an option to buy.

However, plagued by injuries, Bailey only made 11 appearances for the Serie A giants in all competitions during the first half of the season, providing 2 assists.

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