Boca Juniors eyes veteran Enner Valencia amid injury concerns and recruitment struggles

Boca Juniors is reportedly targeting experienced Ecuadorian forward Enner Valencia as a potential reinforcement, seeking to fill a void left by injuries and a history of underperforming signings. The club's recruitment policy under Juan Román Riquelme has faced criticism, with many recent acquisitions failing to meet expectations.

The immediate need arose from an injury to Adam Bareiro, whose lumbar issue is similar to the one that sidelined Edinson Cavani. Valencia, 36, is seen as a candidate to join Boca on a free transfer. He is one of Ecuador's all-time leading scorers and represented his country in three World Cups, notably scoring against Argentina in recent World Cup qualifiers.

Valencia's recent performance with Mexican club Pachuca has been mixed. He finished his contract during the World Cup, where he started all four matches for Ecuador and served as captain in two, but did not score. Despite being Ecuador's top scorer with 49 goals in 109 appearances, he faced criticism for his form in the tournament, scoring only two goals in the entire competition and being eliminated in the round of 16.

Valencia previously impressed at the 2022 Qatar World Cup under Gustavo Alfaro, scoring three goals in three games. However, his physical condition has become a concern as he approaches his 37th birthday. While he maintained a decent scoring rate, his involvement in play has decreased, and he lacks the power from his peak years. Between 2023 and 2025, he scored 31 goals in 100 matches for Internacional Porto Alegre, and eight goals in 22 games for Pachuca in his last year, often not as a starter.