Douglas Luiz transfer clause truth for Man City after Aston Villa £50m stance

Manchester City could be set to earn some extra cash this summer thanks to one of their former players.

Pep Guardiola and Co. are likely to already have their plans for the summer transfer window mapped out ahead of the new Premier League campaign. The window officially opens on Friday, after which point City will be able to agree deals for new signings to arrive at the Etihad Stadium.

It remains to be seen what budget City will have to work with this summer for new signings. However, it seems that a previous deal that saw a player leave the Etihad in the past could prove to boost Guardiola's transfer kitty this summer.

Douglas Luiz left City to join Aston Villa in 2019 in a deal worth £15million. He has since gone on to become a key midfield player for the Midlands club, including helping Villa qualify for the Champions League.

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In recent days, Arsenal have been heavily linked with a move for Luiz this summer, with Villa reportedly seeking around £50million for the midfielder. The Brazilian has previous experience working with Mikel Arteta during his time as assistant coach at City to Guardiola.

City included a buy-back clause in Luiz's deal with Villa, but that expired in 2021 after the first two seasons of his time at Villa Park. Reports from The Athletic claimed in 2022 that City also included a sell-on clause in the transfer, too.

It was not stated what percentage of a future transfer fee that City would be entitled to if Luiz was to leave Villa. It seems, though, that if the midfielder was to complete a £50million move to a new club some of that money would be heading to City.

Luiz did not make a single first-team appearance for City due to being unable to acquire a visa to play for the club. He spent two seasons on loan at Girona before eventually leaving City permanently to join Villa where he has gone to flourish as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.