Aston Villa have not held any discussions about signing Ross Barkley permanently from Chelsea.

Barkley has been in excellent form with Villa since arriving on loan from the Blues for this season.

While Villa would love to have a player of his quality for many years, manager Dean Smith preferred to speak about the here and now when he was asked about Barkley.

Speaking ahead of Friday's clash against Leeds United, Smith told Sky Sports: "It's nothing that has been talked about, our discussions were only for the end of the season."