Former Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday man makes Europe admission amid Manchester United links

The 30-year-old saw his stock plummet during a difficult spell at Chelsea, falling away from the England picture and struggling to recapture the form that earned him a move to Stamford Bridge.

However, after time away from in England in France with Nice, Barkley sealed a return to the Premier League with Luton Town. The move has breathed life into his career and there have been calls for the playmaker to be brought back into the England fold.

He has been linked with Manchester United, having been taken to Nice by the new owners of the Red Devils. Barkley has remained coy regarding his future, although has insisted he loves Luton.

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Despite this admission, it may prove worrying for Hatters fans that Barkley still harbours ambitions of a return to European competitions. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I want to play in the Premier League. I want to play in Europe again but I'm not really focused on that now.

"I want to help the club stay in the league. I love the club. It's helped me so much and I owe them a lot. So I'm focused on that and thinking about nothing other than helping them do that."

With Luton currently sat in the bottom three of the Premier League, it is a genuine possibility the Hatters make an immediate return to the Championship. If they do fail to beat the drop, Barkley’s ambitions could potentially put interested parties on alert.

Barkley had two spells in Yorkshire in the infancy of his career, first enjoying a promising loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday before linking up with Leeds. His time at Elland Road was not particularly productive, as he struggled for minutes under Whites boss Neil Warnock.