Aston Villa are reportedly edging closer to agreeing to sell midfielder Enzo Barrenechea to Benfica this summer in a deal worth €15m.
The 24-year-old arrived from Juventus last summer, but despite impressing for us during pre-season in the weeks that followed, the decision was made to send him out on loan to Valencia for the campaign.
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Barrenechea impressed with the La Liga side, making 33 appearances last season and he seemingly made a strong case for a prominent role in Unai Emery’s plans moving forward.
However, according to The Athletic, Villa look set to sell him to Benfica for around €15m instead, while we’ll hold a 30 per cent sell-on clause as part of the agreement too.
From a financial perspective, it’s arguably smart business. We may well ultimately make a profit on a player who hasn’t made a competitive appearance for the club, while we could cash in again further down the line when he leaves Benfica as he surely looks set for a promising future.
That said, such is the talent that the Argentine midfielder possesses, it’s hard not to be disappointed by the touted outcome of his time at Villa, as it’s felt that he could be a potential star in Emery’s midfield.
Given the expected decision to sell him this summer though, it appears as though the Basque coach doesn’t agree with that assessment and is happy to let him leave, and when we consider we have Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley to play in the two midfield roles in our deeper pivot, it’s hard to see Barrenechea getting a look in if he were to stay with us.
As per Fabrizio Romano, a medical is already booked and Barrenechea will put pen to paper on a contract until June 2030 with Benfica as he indicates it will be a €15m transfer fee too, and so it seems merely a matter of time before he departs and begins a new chapter in what could prove to be a glittering career.
Should he move on as expected, it will be a shame as there are high hopes for Barrenechea with his technical ability, composure in possession and positional awareness, but if Emery ultimately feels as though we can do without, it’s hoped that we have more than enough in that department to help us be successful in the coming years.
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