Aston Villa midfielder Enzo Barrenechea is due to report for pre-season duty at Bodymoor Heath later this summer without being fully in the knowledge of where his short-term future lies.
Argentina international Barrenechea, who is in his country's squad for their World Cup qualifiers this month, enjoyed an excellent campaign with Valencia in La Liga this past season; Barrenechea helped the club under Carlos Corberan to rise from the relegation zone in the winter to mid-table in the second half of the campaign.
The 24-year-old signed a five-year contract when arriving for 11m euros last summer, as part of talks which involved him and Samuel Iling-Junior arriving from Juventus, while Douglas Luiz went in the opposite direction.
With still four of those years to come, Barrenechea and Villa have security, but it remains to be seen whether Unai Emery will consider the midfielder in his plans for the new season; the boss currently has John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley among his options currently.
Villa's president of football operations Monchi recently said of Barrenechea: "He's had a magnificent season. He's a player coveted by many European clubs. We have to decide if Unai wants to count on him, but Enzo has done what was intended, to take a step forward after his time at Frosinone, and he has. He has caught the attention of many clubs.”
If there is to be another loan move for Barrenechea in the coming season, reports in Spain claim that Villa will only consider offers from clubs who will be playing in a European competition next season so Barrenechea can continue to develop at the highest level.
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