Juventus close on signing of teenage midfielder Barrenechea

Juventus are ready to complete the signing of 18-year-old Argentine midfielder Enzo Barrenechea from FC Sion, sources have confirmed to Goal.

The Serie A giants have been monitoring Barrenechea for some time, and he joined the Swiss side from Newell’s Old Boys in the summer.

Sion took Barrenechea from Argentina under direction from Juventus, and he has impressed the club’s scouts enough to warrant a move – despite never playing in the Swiss Super League.

He has spent six months with Sion’s under-21 side, and will link up with the under-19, or Primavera, squad in Turin.

Barrenechea has already arrived in Turin to formally complete the transfer.

A tall central midfielder from Villa Maria in central Argentina, he caught the eyes of Juve’s scouting team with his excellent technique.

Juventus have been busy in the January transfer window, with a number of young talents signed with the aim of making the grade in the youth teams.

Earlier on Saturday, they confirmed the signing of 19-year-old Venezuelan forward Alejandro Marques from Barcelona, with 22-year-old Brazilian midfielder Matheus Pereira going the other way.

Barrenechea will eventually link up with former Sion team-mate Yannick Cotter. Signed by Juve earlier in the month, the teenage forward has returned to his former club on loan for the remainder of the season.

Among the other signings made for the Primavera squad are French left-back Jean-Claude Ntenda, 17, and 25-year-old forward Matteo Brunori.

However, the only signing made for the Juventus first team so far this month has been teenage star Dejan Kulusevski, prised from Atalanta in a €35 million (£30m/$39m) deal but spending the rest of the season on loan at Parma.

Left-back Layvin Kurzawa is expected to arrive from Paris Saint-Germain, with Mattia De Sciglio going the other way. Kurzawa had been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal, with his PSG contract up at the end of the season.

Midfielder Emre Can is expected to leave before the end of the month.

The Germany international, formerly of Liverpool, has been suggested as a target for Borussia Dortmund but Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick says he is a “leader” and could play for any club in the Bundesliga.