Aston Villa ace could replace Manchester City signing as Emery gets brutal
Aston Villa have spent a large part of the summer transfer window fending off interest in some of their key players so far.
Unai Emery’s side are still reeling from the disappointing end to their season that saw them narrowly miss out on Champions League qualification.
Several of their most important players have been linked with moves elsewhere since the conclusion of the previous campaign, and that has largely overshadowed Monchi’s attempts to strengthen the squad.
Morgan Rogers is one man who has been tipped to exit Villa Park, while the future of Emi Martinez has also been up in the air.
Porto and Benfica to battle to sign Enzo Barrenechea
Enzo Barrenechea is another player who seems destined to leave Villa this summer, and now it appears that Emery has reached a final decision on his future.
The Spanish boss had been keen to take a look at the Argentine in pre-season, after he spent the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Valencia.
However, it now seems as though the midfielder has no way back in B6, despite never being given a real chance to show what he can do.
Portuguese giants Benfica are understood to be keen to land the 24-year-old, according to the print edition of A Bola (12 July, pg 4).
Emery appears to have been brutal regarding Barrenechea’s future, as it is believed that he “has no place” at Villa, while a deal up to £10.3million could be enough to sign the outcast star.
Meanwhile, Porto have also outlined him as one of their summer targets, according to Correio da Manha (11 July).
Sergio Conceicao’s side view Barrenechea as a potential replacement for Nico Gonzalez, who left to join Manchester City in the January window.
Villa need to move Barrenechea on
Barrenechea’s future at Villa has been shrouded in uncertainty all summer, so it is promising that Emery has seemingly decided on the midfielder.
The 53-year-old doesn’t necessarily have a reputation as being a particularly ruthless boss, but it looks as though he has now taken a very firm stance on Barrenechea.
With the Villans now adamant that the former Juventus man will play no part for them next season, they need to get him off their books as quickly as possible to make room for further additions.
They are already fairly well-stocked in the middle of the park, and with continued suggestions regarding a potential return for Douglas Luiz, they could do with showing Barrenechea the door shortly.
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