Report Roma looking to send Bailey back to Aston Villa after Serie A flop

Roma are not impressed with Leon Bailey’s returns this season, and are now exploring options to terminate his loan deal with Aston Villa according to reports in Italy. 

Bailey joined Roma on a season-long loan deal during the summer transfer window, in a deal which also includes an option to buy for a fee in the region of €20-€25m. 

Life didn’t get off to the best of starts for the Jamaican in Rome, as he suffered an injury to the rectus femoris muscle in his thigh during his first training session with the Giallorossi, which ended up keeping him out of action for almost two months. 

Bailey has had two further spells on the treatment table since then, which means that he has only been able to feature for 181 minutes of Serie A action approaching the halfway stage of the 2025-26 campaign. Only one of his seven league appearances have come as a starter, and he has failed to register any goals or assists across those outings. 

It is no secret that Roma are on the lookout for multiple attacking reinforcements during the January transfer window. Giacomo Raspadori and Joshua Zirkzee have both been linked with moves to the Stadio Olimpico, but this might mean that Roma look to move on some of their current options first. 

According to reports from Calciomercato.com, Roma are exploring options to terminate Bailey’s loan agreement with Aston Villa. 

This is not a particularly straightforward exercise, though, as there is reportedly no break clause or recall clause in the Jamaican’s loan deal. 

Additionally, Tuesday’s report claims that Villa are not particularly keen on the idea of having Bailey back in January. In fact, there would need to be another team willing and ready to step forwards with a new loan proposal for the 28-year-old if Roma are to terminate his current deal.