Blackburn Rovers will regret letting £25m-rated player leave for £0 - Sunderland & Everton are now lurking | OneFootball

Enzo Boyomo, once in the academy at Blackburn Rovers, left for free in 2020, and now he's being linked with a Premier League switch

There's always a feeling of jealousy when a player who came through the youth system at one club goes on to excel elsewhere, as it represents a missed opportunity to see said player show that quality at the initial club.

Osasuna centre-back Enzo Boyomo has recently hit headlines after a strong performance against La Liga leaders Barcelona, despite Los Rojillos coming out on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline.

The 24-year-old has been a solid operator at the back for the Spanish top-flight side ever since he made the move from Real Valladolid back in the summer of 2024, and now rumours are swirling about him perhaps moving on yet again.

Spanish journalist Matteo Moretto reported via X that Premier League sides Sunderland, Everton and Brighton and Hove Albion all have the Cameroon international on their radars, as do Serie A side Como. The Sunderland Echo have also reported that Boyomo is valued at £25 million.

If a Premier League club does end up being his destination this summer, it won't be the first time he's played in England, however, as he was once part of Blackburn Rovers' academy.

Enzo Boyomo's time at Blackburn Rovers was brief

Indeed, a nine-time international centre-back who is being valued at £25 million came over to England as a 15-year-old to play youth football at Blackburn.

Boyomo was a regular in Rovers' Under-18's side for several years, making 53 appearances in that age group across the U18 Premier League and in the FA Youth Cup, where he helped the club to the semi-finals in 2020, eventually losing to Manchester City side which boasted players such as Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Liam Delap and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.

The 2019/20 campaign also saw him make his first and only Under-23s appearance for Blackburn, coming off the bench on the final day in a 2-2 draw with Southampton, after spending the majority of the season in the squad, but failing to make it onto the pitch.

That would be the last year Boyomo spent at Ewood Park. Despite being offered a professional contract by the club, the two parties couldn't agree on terms, and he was free to depart, moving over to Spain, where he'd sign for Albacete.

How Enzo Boyomo built up to becoming a £25 million-rated defender — Blackburn Rovers will be kicking themselves

Boyomo's first season in Spain didn't go to plan at all, as Albacete would finish rock bottom of the Segunda División and suffer relegation to the third tier.

He would then actually struggle to get into the team the following year, but from December 2021 onwards, he was one of the first names on the teamsheet and would star in the side's eventual play-off campaign, beating Deportivo La Coruna in the final.

Now an established member of the side, Boyomo would start 36 of the 42 games in their Segunda División return, a campaign which saw them finish in the play-offs.

Despite it ending in a comprehensive defeat over two legs against Levante, his performances made him one of the first purchases Real Valladolid made after they were relegated from La Liga, and his sole campaign at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium ended in promotion back to the top flight.

The 24-year-old had earned his right to have a crack at La Liga. Osasuna would come in with a bid to ensure it would be with them, and that's where he's spent the last two seasons.

With four games left this season, Boyomo hasn't played as much as he did last season, but that's owing to his time spent at AFCON earlier in the campaign. He's started 25 of 34 league games, and Los Rojillos are 10th, sitting five points off a place in the UEFA Conference League.

However, he may not be playing a part in any potential European campaigns if his current side do squeeze in, as a £25 million bid would blow the €5 million they reportedly spent on him two years ago out of the water — it may be an offer they cannot turn down.

And if it does materialise, and Boyomo does find himself back in England, Blackburn will be reminded once more that they let the Cameroonian international part ways with them six years ago, just a few years before he'd started to realise his potential.

Granted, he may not have blossomed into the player he is now if he hadn't gone to Spain, but on the flip side, he definitely could have, and it could have been Rovers banking a healthy eight-figure fee for his services.