Fabrizio Romano says Aston Villa are on verge of sealing ‘really strong’ signing

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Aston Villa have been especially busy on the transfer front over the past few weeks, spinning a number of plates with regards to both incomings and outgoings.

The Villans are currently in talks with Juventus, Chelsea and Everton over potential new signings, as well as players that could be going in the opposite direction.

Villa are currently looking to sell Douglas Luiz to Juventus, with two of their players – plus cash – going to B6.

Unai Emery’s charges are also in pursuit of Ian Maatsen, while Jhon Duran has been linked with a move in the other direction.

As for Everton, Villa have reportedly closed a deal to send Tim Iroegbunam to Goodison Park, while Lewis Dobbin is a target for the claret-and-blue side.

Now, Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on X regarding the deal involving Villa and Juventus.

• READ MORE: Fabrizio Romano says Aston Villa expect to seal deal for ‘exceptional’ target by end of week

Fabrizio Romano says Aston Villa and Juventus now in final stages of swap deal

The transfer insider says Villa and Juve have moved into the final stages of the cash-plus-player deal involving Douglas Luiz.

The Brazilian talent is set to move to the Juventus Stadium, while the two players set to head the other way are Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Illing-Junior.

Weston McKennie was previously in the picture, but now Barrenechea looks set to be the Juve midfielder who will be heading to Villa.

In addition, the Villans are set to receive between €25-30million (£21-£25.5million) as part of the deal, added Romano.

Who are Aston Villa targets Barrenechea and Iling-Junior?

Enzo Barrenechea is an Argentine midfielder who can play at No. 6 and No. 8.

The 23-year-old is on Juve’s books, but spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Frosinone, registering 39 appearances, including 36 in Serie A.

Barrenechea began his career at Newell’s Old Boys before moving to Swiss outfit Sion in 2019 and then joining Juve’s academy a year later.

Former Juventus U19 coach Andrea Bonatti told Tuttomercatoweb earlier this year that Barrenechea is a “really strong” player.

Meanwhile, Iling-Junior is a winger who can also play at wing-back, and has 45 competitive appearances for Juve to his name.

He came through the ranks at Chelsea but ended up joining Juve’s youth setup in 2020, where he has made a real name for himself.

The Juve website has described the 20-year-old “one of the most promising young footballers of his generation”. He has also been deemed an ‘assist machine‘.