Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has reportedly made a decision on the future of midfielder Enzo Barrenechea which could see him depart permanently this summer.
The 24-year-old was signed from Juventus last summer but spent last season on loan at Valencia, where he made 33 appearances and impressed with the quality he showed in their midfield.
READ MORE: Important season ahead for Villa ace as time to take next step upon him
Further, the Argentine talent displayed why he could be an ideal fit for Emery’s system and style of play, as he excelled in a deeper midfield pivot and showed that he can combine his tenacity and physical attributes with his composure and technical quality in possession to be an influential figure in that part of the pitch in both phases.
That said, Villa do have significant competition for places in that area of the squad currently, with Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley all available to Emery and vying for a starting berth, and so perhaps that has had a significant impact on the Villa boss’s planning for the upcoming campaign.
According to Fichajes.net, via RadioEsport Valencia, Emery is said to have already informed Barrenechea that he will not be counting on him next season, and so the door has been opened for the Argentine midfielder to leave on a permanent basis.
It’s added that Valencia could make an offer to try to take him back to the Mestalla, with either another loan with an option to buy proposal put on the table, or an offer of around €5m to €7m to sign him outright, while Barrenechea is said to be eager to return to the La Liga outfit and so time will tell if an agreement can be reached between all parties.
Should the report above prove to be accurate, that would be a disappointing development in Barrenechea’s future, as he’s shown a lot of potential to back the argument that he could be a valuable player in the Villa squad next season to help us compete on multiple fronts.
Provided nothing changes though in terms of Villa selling one of the four midfielders noted above, it is hard to see how he plays regular football unless he outshines them all in training and holds on to a starting berth when the season gets underway, and so that is perhaps a critical aspect of his reported desire to move back to Valencia.
A sale would certainly help our PSR position as we look to balance our books before the June 30 deadline, but again, the touted figure of €5m-€7m is arguably well short of what Villa could demand for a player who has just been called up to the senior Argentina squad after an impressive year, and so although it’s hoped that this proves to be wrong and Barrenechea stays at Villa next season, if he is to be sold, Villa should surely demand significantly more to let a top talent move on.
The Talk Villa Newsletter is set for a relaunch this summer. Subscribe below for ad-free articles, podcasts, exclusive content and much more on Substack. More details to follow…Up The Villa!
