Juventus and Aston Villa are determined to close out a protracted swap deal involving Douglas Luiz and two Bianconeri players. According to Fabrizio Romano, Enzo Barrenechea is about to agree on contract terms with the Premier League club, which would unlock the deal to bring the Brazilian star to Serie A.
Weston McKennie was supposed to be a counterpart in a complex swap agreement. However, he nearly left Juventus empty-handed after rejecting Aston Villa’s contract offer. Luckily, sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli found a way to bypass this obstacle, introducing Barrenechea as a makeweight.
The 23-year-old joined Juventus as a prodigious talent in 2022 but failed to secure regular first-team football at the Allianz Stadium. The record-time Italian champions sent him out on loan at Frosinone to gain experience, and it was a massive hit.
Barrenechea collected 36 league appearances for the Canaries, establishing himself among the hottest midfield prospects in Serie A. But with Frosinone suffering relegation to Serie B, he returned to Turin this summer, only to move on.
Juventus have inserted a 10% sell-on clause in the deal, perhaps aware of Barrenechea’s burgeoning potential. Alongside the Argentine, Samuel Iling-Junior will continue his career at Villa Park as the second part of the deal that will see Luiz link up with Thiago Motta’s team.
Luiz’s imminent arrival could spell the end of McKennie’s career at Juventus, with Major League Soccer franchise FC Cincinnati readying a bid to bring him back to his homeland this summer.
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