Window of opportunity opens for long-awaited Aston Villa transfer after Gerrard ‘green light’

There could be a window of opportunity for Douglas Luiz to make the move from Aston Villa to AS Roma in the summer, according to reports in Italy.

Douglas Luiz is approaching the final year of his contract with Aston Villa. He has been an important player for them since signing from Manchester City in 2019. More than 100 appearances in the claret-and-blue shirt have followed since.

However, after batting off interest in his services in each of the past two transfer windows, Aston Villa know they are in a battle to keep hold of him.

One of the prime suitors who could make a move at the end of the season is Roma. The Italian outfit had him on their shortlist last summer, but ultimately failed to sign any defensive midfielder to appease Jose Mourinho.

Therefore, in the summer, they are ready to rectify that issue. In doing so, they could be back in the market for Douglas Luiz.

According to AS Roma Live, the Giallorossi believe they have been given the go-ahead by recent comments from Steven Gerrard. The Aston Villa manager recently said they would not be dealing with the situation immediately.

Gerrard stated last week: “He’s got 12 months left. That’s where we’re at. We haven’t analysed that individual’s situation in isolation, if you like.

“He’s a very good player who’s been playing the majority of the games. He’s a player we rate very much.

“All of the individuals, we’ll speak about from now until the end of the season and we’ll deal with each case when needs be but not right now.”

‘Green light’ given for Douglas Luiz transfer

In response, Roma believe they have the “green light” to move for the 23-year-old, it is written.

All that remains to be seen is how much Aston Villa will be aiming to make from a potential transfer, and whether Roma would be willing to pay it.

It does seem that AS Roma Live may have jumped to a conclusion from Gerrard’s comments. That said, the door is definitely open for any suitor to pounce until there is any sign of a renewal for the Brazilian at Villa Park.

Mourinho has a definite need for a player of Douglas Luiz’s ilk at Roma. Therefore, that could be a likely landing spot unless previous suitors like Arsenal are still involved in the transfer race.

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