Aston Villa are about to lose a promising midfielder to Jose Mourinho, as Enzo Barrenechea’s loan deal is edging closer to meeting the conditions to make the move permanent.

Barrenechea joined Benfica in the summer on a season-long loan, pocketing Villa around €3 million, but in that deal was a mandatory purchase obligation clause that would be triggered if certain criteria were met.

Reportedly, the main condition was for Barrenechea to play for the Lisbon times 15 times, which would then trigger his sale for around €12 million, bringing the total deal to €15 million or around £13 million.

The Juventus academy graduate arrived at Villa Park from the Italian side in July 2024, as Douglas Luiz went the other way.

The sale should bring in around £10 million to Villa Park(Image: DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

The midfielder didn’t seem to have a place under Unai Emery’s plans, and Barrenechea was immediately loaned back out to Valencia for the 2024/25 season,...