Aston Villa and Barcelona: six players with links to both

Aston Villa travel to Camp Nou on Tuesday for Matchday Four of the UEFA Champions League, aiming to keep their 100% start to the league phase. A win would put them on 12 points after four matches, following victories over Club Brugge, Fenerbahçe and Viking.

A number of notable players have represented both Villa and the Catalan giants over the years. Here are six of them.

Traoré came through the academy at Barcelona, playing for the club's B side before making his first-team debut in 2013. After one La Liga appearance, the powerful winger joined Villa in the summer of 2015 and moved to Middlesbrough a year later after 12 appearances in claret and blue.

His form in the North East earned him a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers, where he became a fan favourite over five seasons. He also made 17 loan appearances back at Barcelona during the 2021/22 campaign, sandwiched in between.

Reina, a former Spain international goalkeeper, also rose through Barcelona's academy, making his first-team debut in 2002. He made a further 48 appearances before successful spells at Villarreal and Liverpool.

He later moved to Italy, representing Napoli and AC Milan, and joined Villa on loan from the latter in January 2020. He made 12 appearances and helped Dean Smith's side secure Premier League safety.

Coutinho made his name as a youngster at Inter Milan before earning a move to Liverpool, where he excelled over five years. The Brazilian then moved to Barcelona for a fee of over £100m and won a host of trophies, including two La Liga titles.

He joined Villa on loan in January 2022 and scored four goals in his first eight games. He made the move permanent at the end of that season and, in the summer of 2025, completed a permanent return to his boyhood club, Vasco da Gama.

A Europa League winner in claret and blue, Frenchman Digne began his career at Lille before spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Roma. He moved to Barça in the summer of 2016 and spent two seasons in Catalonia, winning the 2017/18 La Liga, before joining Everton in 2018.

Digne moved from Merseyside to Birmingham in January 2022 and established himself as a fan favourite over four and a half seasons. He returned to PSG over the summer, having played his part in a historic 2026/27 campaign.

Another Frenchman, Lenglet started his career at Nancy before a year and a half at Sevilla and a move to Barcelona in the summer of 2018. After a loan spell at Tottenham Hotspur, the centre-back joined Villa for the 2023/24 season, making 25 appearances in all competitions as the club secured Champions League qualification.

He spent a loan season at Atlético Madrid before making a permanent move to the Spanish capital in the summer of 2025.

An England international with 78 caps, Rashford spent his entire career at Manchester United before joining Villa on loan in January 2025. He scored four goals in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign, helping the club reach the Champions League quarter-finals and secure Europa League qualification for the following season.

A loan spell at Barça followed in the summer of 2025. He scored 14 goals in 49 appearances as Hansi Flick's side secured the La Liga title with a win over Real Madrid.