Aston Villa braced for transfer offer as Spanish giants join Juventus in race for midfielder
Aston Villa will soon receive a bid for central midfielder Douglas Luiz, according to a report, after a Spanish team begun rivalling Juventus for his signature.
Luiz cost £15million when joining the Villans from Manchester City. He has gone on to play 115 times for Aston Villa, notching six goals and eight assists.
This season, Luiz has featured in four games in all competitions. He opened his account for the campaign in the 4-1 Carabao Cup win over Bolton Wanderers.
However, the Brazilian is yet to complete a full 90 minutes in the Premier League. He is facing competition for places from John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Jacob Ramsey, Morgan Sanson and Marvelous Nakamba.
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard can also utilise Emi Buendia and Philippe Coutinho in a midfield three if required. His plethora of options means Luiz may struggle to hold down a starting spot.
According to Sky Sports, Juventus would like to sign Luiz if they miss out on Paris Saint-Germain’s Leandro Paredes.
The Villa star is on their shortlist to improve Max Allegri’s midfield options. However, Juve will have to fend off Atletico Madrid to get Luiz’s signing done.
That’s because The Telegraph reveal Atleti’s interest in the 24-year-old. They are planning to launch a £20million move for him.
Atleti target Douglas Luiz after Villa talks fall through
Luiz has previously been in talks with Villa over a three-year contract extension in the west Midlands. His current deal expires in summer 2023, which is why clubs are sitting up and taking notice.
However, discussions between Luiz and Villa have fallen through and he could now move on.
Villa picking up £20m for a player in the final 12 months of his contract would be a great bit of business. After all, Liverpool only got £35m when Sadio Mane was in a similar position and left for Bayern Munich.
Despite this, Villa are apparently ready to reject any proposals worth £20m. They want more for his signature, while Gerrard is hoping he remains at Villa Park.
The Telegraph state a Premier League club are keeping tabs on the situation and could swoop in to capture Luiz. However, the report doesn’t reveal which top-flight English club it is.
Villa have previously made moves to sign a replacement for Luiz. They went after Leeds United’s Kalvin Phillips and Yves Bissouma of Brighton.
However, Phillips went on to join reigning Premier League champions Manchester City for £45m. Bissouma, meanwhile, is a Tottenham player after Antonio Conte’s side spent £25m on him.
Villa did go on to bring Kamara in from Marseille on a free transfer. And the 22-year-old has a bright future at the top level, even if his start to life in the Prem has been in tough.
Villa will be able to rely on Kamara if Luiz goes to Atleti or Juve. Gerrard would ideally like to keep Luiz so his midfield options remain strong, but the player may show his desire to leave for more game time.
Meanwhile, Gerrard has revealed how many new signings he expects Villa to make before the end of the transfer window.
