AEK beat off Aston Villa to Barkas’s signature
The shot-stopper started out at Atromitos before his talent was spotted by a number of different clubs. Aston Villa were one of the teams reportedly interested, along with Panathinaikos and Olympiakos.
However, Barkas joined AEK Athens in 2016 for around £500,000. He shared goalkeeping duties with Giannis Anesti during his first campaign at the club.