Aston Villa have now reached an ‘economic contractual agreement’ with one of their targets as an update on the swap deal involving Douglas Luiz has emerged.
Monchi and Unai Emery have endured a rapid start to the summer transfer window as they face a race against time to solve Aston Villa’s PSR concerns.
Villa have until June 30th to resolve their financial woes and like many other clubs in their position, they’re looking to offload some of their key players as Douglas Luiz looks set to leave for Juventus while Jhon Duran wants to join Chelsea.
Luiz’s move to Turin is a swap deal and after intense speculation, the two players heading in the opposite direction to Villa Park are winger Samuel Iling-Junior and defensive midfielder Enzo Barrenechea, with an update now emerging on the latter.
Enzo Barrenchea reaches ‘contractual agreement’ ahead of Aston Villa move
While there were doubts over Weston McKennie’s side of the deal, a transfer involving Barrenechea – a 23-year-old midfielder – looks a lot more promising.
According to Juve journalist Nick Semeraro, Barrenechea has reached an ‘economic contractual agreement’ with Aston Villa ahead of a proposed move.
That was the stumbling block in McKennie switching to Birmingham as the United States international was demanding a ‘top player’ salary at Villa, and they weren’t prepared to give him it.
It appears negotiating the contract side of things with Barrenechea was a lot easier as the Argentine was only collecting £4k per week while on loan at Frosinone last term, where he flourished as a midfield machine.
What Enzo Barrenchea would bring to Aston Villa?
Dubbed a ‘destroyer’ by talent scout Antonio Mango, Barrenechea wouldn’t be a direct replacement for Luiz, whose incredible technical attributes have flourished as an attacking force under Emery.
However, the young Juventus star would be more of a rival for Frenchman Boubacar Kamara, who is readily known for his ability to cover every blade of grass and win the ball back for his team.
Likened to Manchester City star Rodri by former under-19 coach Andrea Bonatti, Barrenechea is both an anchor in front of the defence and an excellent distributor of possession.
Kamara played that role for Villa before sustaining an ACL injury in March and the incoming midfielder can also carry out that position to a high standard, as highlighted by his exceptional metrics.
In the Serie A last term, Barrenechea placed inside the top 14% against his positional peers for passes attempted, the top 14% for blocks and the top 12% for aerials won, underlining his attributes as a destroyer of opposition attacks.
Towards the end of last season, Villa struggled defensively and until Kamara makes his return well into the 2024/25 campaign, the midfield titan can more than replace his glowing attributes.
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