‘Aston Villa could be set to make costly mistake’ amid Kamara uncertainty
Aston Villa may have to make some difficult decisions in the transfer market this summer, and several key players face uncertain futures.
Boubacar Kamara is one of those who could end up departing Villa Park this summer, after Unai Emery’s side missed out on qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
Aston Villa need to sell to resolve their PSR situation, and Kamara has been linked with an exit in recent weeks.
Another player on Villa’s books could also leave, but given Kamara’s situation, this would be a costly mistake by Emery and Monchi.
Enzo Barrenechea could leave Aston Villa
Aston Villa signed Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus last summer as part of the deal which saw Douglas Luiz move to Italy, immediately loaning him out to Valencia for the season.
Barrenechea excelled at Mestalla and has the potential to develop into a top-class defensive midfielder.
| Apps | 30 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Pass accuracy | 87% |
| Duels won (%) | 61% |
| Tackles won | 30 |
| Interceptions | 28 |
However, Mail Sport have now reported (27 June) that Villa are ready to sell Barrenechea to Valencia after his loan spell, if the finances on the deal are right.
While this could somewhat help their PSR situation, Villa need to reconsider this, given the long-term impact it could have on their squad building.
Villa should keep Barrenechea as Kamara’s replacement
Barrenechea joined Villa alongside Samuel Iling-Junior for a reported combined fee of around £18million, meaning that any sale this summer is unlikely to represent much profit on the books.
A sale of Kamara, possibly to Saudi Arabia, could see Villa earn more profit, and while it would be a blow to lose the midfielder, Barrenechea could serve as his long-term replacement.
Potentially selling both would see a long-term option leave for little value, and another player would need to be signed to fill the hole in midfield.
This could end up costing millions more than if Villa were to keep and develop Barrenechea after his promising loan spell in Spain, and Emery must consider this as an option this summer.
Kamara made 26 Premier League appearances last season after struggling with some injury issues, and Barrenechea could be more reliable in this regard.
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