Aston Villa midfielder Enzo Barrenechea is reportedly attracting significant interest amid doubts over his future at the club beyond this summer.
The 24-year-old arrived from Juventus last year, but despite impressing during our pre-season schedule, the decision was made to send him out on loan as he joined Valencia and enjoyed a positive stint in Spain.
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Having made 33 appearances for the La Liga side last season, it was a productive experience for the Argentine midfielder, as he continued to improve and develop his game through regular playing time at a high level.
In turn, the loan switch was a success for all concerned, but now comes the big decision on his long-term future and whether or not he features in Unai Emery’s plans moving forward.
According to Tribuna Deportivo, a Spanish news outlet specialising in Valencia, they are said to only be keen on a fresh move if they are able to land Barrenechea on loan again towards the end of the transfer window, but it’s added that there are five or six clubs showing interest in the Villa ace, and so time will tell if a suitable offer arrives.
It’s added that Villa are asking for around €9m to €12m to green light a departure, and so time will tell if they approve an exit or not in the coming weeks.
While that could be seen as a decent return on our initial investment given our predicament this summer, it still feels low for a player of Barrenechea’s talent and potential.
Furthermore, there is a strong argument in favour of keeping him at Villa for the upcoming campaign and integrating him into Emery’s squad as he looks to be a perfect fit for the Basque coach’s system and style of play, and has shown plenty of promise to suggest that he’s got a big future ahead of him having also recently been called up to the senior Argentina squad.
That said, with Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley ahead of him to displace in the pecking order to get minutes, it’s a complicated situation for Barrenechea and Villa, and so time will tell what the eventual solution is with regards to his future at the club with Emery perhaps waiting to take a closer look in pre-season next month before making his final decision.
€9-€12m is far to little. Barkleys contract is up next summer, and if Kamara does a Kamara and doesnt sign new contract offer, hes off in two seasons for free.
Barrenechea might be needed if injuries hit the DCMs again this season. Should only let him go in a deal with Betis that sees Jesùs Rodriguez go to Villa with Barrenechea having a far higher value. Betis have recently shown interest in Barrenechea according to some news outlets.
And what about Bogarde, his contract is up next summer aswell. Should extend his contract and loan him to Sevilla maybe with an option to buy, they wanted to buy him last season for £5m according to rumours.