Aston Villa closing in on a deal for ‘impressive’ ex-Juventus midfielder | OneFootball

Aston Villa are set to sell Argentine midfielder Enzo Barrenechea to Benfica, according to reports.

Barrenechea‘s Villa career has been a short one. Now 24, he joined the club from Juventus last summer and spent the 2024/25 season on loan at La Liga side Valencia.

The deal that brought Barrenechea to Villa Park was indicative of the football’s ludicrously misguided attempts to impose much-needed financial controls and the lengths clubs will go to achieve compliance with Premier League profit and sustainability rules (PSR).

Barrenechea and England Under-21 international Samuel Iling-Junior moved to Villa in a joint deal that was itself connected-but-not-connected to the sale of Douglas Luiz to the Turin club.

Villa are understood to be preparing the sale of Barrenechea for a fee in the region of £13 million. The deal will leave Villa in profit after just one year and reportedly includes a sell-on clause.

“[Barrenechea] excelled under Carlos Corberán at Valencia last season, featuring in 31 La Liga games throughout the campaign,” reports John Townley.

“Barrenechea played a key role under the former West Brom boss, who revived his hometown club – not only steering them clear of relegation but collecting 33 points from the 21 matches he oversaw.”

The former Newell’s Old Boys midfielder was brought to Europe by Swiss club Sion before making the switch to Juve’s Next Gen set-up in 2020. He played three first team games in Serie A, so his 2024/25 season as a Valencia regular was undoubtedly his breakthrough season.

Barrenechea’s physicality, aerial strength and passing are all above average among players in his positions in Europe’s top five leagues as defined by Opta and his ability to switch the ball quickly was a useful attribute in Corberán’s team.

Nevertheless, his Villa days are numbered and that number could be one or zero at this point. Barrenechea was unlikely to unseat both Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara, and Villa have enough midfield depth to cover the possibility of both being absent.