Aston Villa have reportedly agreed on personal terms with Enzo Barrenechea, who will be part of the swap deal with Juventus for Douglas Luiz.
Speculation has been rife in recent days over Luiz’s departure, as Villa seemingly look to address our PSR concerns before the end of June and balance our books with a significant sale.
READ MORE: Villa tipped to agree personal terms this week to secure key signing
While it’s bitterly disappointing to lose the Brazilian international given his importance to the side, it’s seemingly a sacrifice that Unai Emery and the club are willing to make, and so it was imperative that we got a beneficial deal to soften the blow.
Villa have been pushing to get value from the agreement with Juventus, and as per Fabrizio Romano, as well as a transfer fee, which has been suggested is around €25m, Villa will also receive both Samuel Iling Jr and Barrenechea in a player exchange deal.
Further, he’s now added that the 23-year-old Argentine midfielder is set to agree on a contract with a deal imminent, and that Juventus will have a 10 percent sell-on clause inserted into the agreement.
Argentine journalist Cesar Luis Merlo has gone one further and has claimed that Barrenechea will put pen to paper on a contract that will keep him at Villa until 2029, and he is now set to undergo his medical before the transfer is officially confirmed.
After making 39 appearances last season during his loan spell at Frosinone, this would represent a big step up for the Argentine midfielder, but ultimately Villa have evidently seen something they like about him to push for him to be included in the deal.
Barrenechea, should he now join us as expected, will add important depth and competition in midfield, something we lacked last season and it certainly became an issue. Offloading Luiz for a fee and with the way the agreement is structured, we’ll hopefully have more flexibility and spending power next month to properly replace him.
Nevertheless, this hopefully proves to be a pivotal move from Villa that improves the squad and makes us more capable of being competitive across multiple fronts next season, and so while it’s a shame to see Luiz move on, we look set to add two talented young players and receive a significant transfer fee in a fundamental move from a financial perspective.
Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the operation will cost Juve €50m, with Barrenechea and Iling Jr worth €22m plus bonuses, while a fee of around €25m will make it a savvy business move too for Villa.
