Enzo Barrenechea is close to completing his move to Aston Villa from Juventus with Fabrizio Romano now sharing a key detail.
Monchi and Unai Emery have made a rapid start to proceedings in the summer transfer window as they attempt to sell players before the June 30th PSR deadline.
Douglas Luiz is on his way to Juventus in a deal that will see midfielder Enzo Barrenechea and winger Samuel Iling-Junior move to Villa Park.
Jhon Duran is making a possible move to Chelsea as Ian Maatsen joins Villa from Stamford Bridge while Tim Iroegbunham is moving to Everton for £9m in a swap deal for Toffees’ young forward Lewis Dobbin.
It’s an exciting period for Villa fans as Emery assembles a Champions League-level squad ahead of a busy 2024/25 campaign.
Fabrizio Romano reveals sell-on clause in Enzo Barrenechea’s contract
Villa’s move for Barrenechea is an intriguing one. Although not a direct replacement for Luiz, the 23-year-old is a midfield destroyer, whose defensive and technical attributes have been likened to Manchester City’s Rodri.
To be compared to the best defensive midfielder on the planet is some praise for the Argentine, who will be hoping to translate his performances across to Villa.
Monchi has pulled off some great negotiating work in removing Weston McKennie from the equation, increasing the fee received for Luiz to £21m – £25m while landing one of the finest midfielders in Europe.
Fabrizio Romano has also revealed a finer detail in the deal taking Barrenechea to Villa Park, claiming Juventus will have a 10% sell-on clause inserted into his contract, and it was never considered any other clause higher than this one.
Enzo Barrenechea can improve Aston Villa’s defensive record
While out on loan at Frosinone last term, Barrenechea played as a defensive midfielder, operating in a similar role to Frenchman Boubacar Kamara.
That suggests he isn’t going to fill the void left behind by Luiz’s departure but will either replace Kamara in the starting XI or act as a solid backup option.
Emery’s system was exposed a lot defensively last term with Villa conceding a whopping 61 goals in the top flight, more than the likes of Crystal Palace and Everton.
A huge reason for their struggles was the decline in form they suffered when Kamara sustained an ACL injury in March, and won’t return now till well into the 2024/25 campaign.
The 24-year-old has been a huge miss for the protection he brings to the defence and his partnership with Luiz blossomed into one of the league’s best.
Barrenechea – who ranked in the top 14% of midfielders across Europe for blocks and the top 17% for aerials won – can act as the defensive screen for Villa in the absence of Kamara.
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