Aston Villa are keen on bringing Gareth Barry back to Villa Park, as per a report by the Birmingham Mail.

The 37-year-old has a relegation clause in his contract which could be activated by his old club, should they be successful in the Play-Offs and return to the top flight.

Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has opted to sign players with experience during his tenure at Villa Park. This has seen the likes of Chris Samba, John Terry and Glenn Whelan all sign for the Midlands club over the past year. Ex-England international Gareth Barry could be the next one.

Barry has played for Villa before and first joined them in 1997 from Brighton and Hove Albion as a youngster. He went onto play over 400 games for Villa in a 12-year spell at the club. Barry then joined Manchester City in July 2009 for around £12 million.

Barry played for Manchester City before most recent spells at Everton and now West Brom. He joined the Baggies in the summer for an undisclosed fee and has played 29 times for them in all competitions this season.

A return to Aston Villa would be a fitting last spell for Barry. It is where he started his career and made his name in the top flight. Even though he is now 37, he has proven this season that he still has what it takes to play at the top level.