Yahoo News Douglas Luiz transfer: Price tag emerges as Arsenal wait for Aston Villa development
A transfer storm around Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz is brewing. The Brazilian midfielder has a plethora of suitors and Villa could be tempted to cash in.
Luiz, 26, enjoyed an outstanding season in the Premier League for Villa as the club qualified for the Champions League. The midfielder managed nine goals and five assists in his 35 league games, building on his six goals and six assists in the previous campaign.
Unai Emery has got the best out of Luiz in a deep-lying midfield role by giving him the freedom to join in attacks. But his form for Villa and Brazil, with whom he has now accumulated 14 caps, has attracted attention from elsewhere.
Luiz is the subject of intense transfer speculation. Here is how the land lies with regards to his future at Villa Park…
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Who is interested?
Arsenal have a long-term interest in Luiz and tried to sign him two years ago before the midfielder committed his future to Villa by signing a new contract. The Gunners are preparing to offload Thomas Partey this summer and require a new midfielder to compete with Declan Rice and Jorginho for a starting berth.
Luiz is also of interest to Italian giants Juventus and AC Milan, according to reports. Juve are currently without a manager after sacking Massimiliano Allegri for only finishing third in Serie A last term.
Milan have been linked with Luiz before and, according to Tuttosport, the midfielder’s name came up in discussions over right-back Matty Cash this week.
Why Villa might be forced to sell
Villa are alleged to be in a tight spot with Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) at the moment. It is alleged the club need to make up a shortfall before June 30 or they face breaching the rules and becoming the latest Premier League team to incur a punishment.
Premier League clubs are allowed maximum £105m losses over three years and Villa were nearly £120m in the red in 2023. Reports from various outlets have claimed that Villa need to sell at least one player and Luiz is one of their most saleable assets.
However, Reach's Business of Football writer Dave Powell says Villa don't need to sell anyone they don't want to and that they won't be 'ripping up the canvas'.
Villa signed Luiz for £15m from Manchester City in 2019, shortly after they returned to the Premier League, and stand to make a sizeable profit.
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How much do Villa want?
It is claimed that Villa want £50m for Luiz before June 30. That fee would give Villa £35m profit on the fee they paid for Luiz. The money could be reinvested from July on the likes of Conor Gallagher, with Villa among those interested in the £50m-rated England international.
What Luiz has said
As you would expect, Luiz has been quite coy on the speculation surrounding his future when asked about it in media interviews. It is nothing new to the Brazilian, who has been linked with moves away from Villa virtually from the moment he joined the club.
"I am very happy to hear the stories but I am here at Aston Villa," he told Sky Sports midway through last season. "My focus is totally here. I don't spend a lot of time looking at the stories. I see them, but I don't focus on that and I'm not looking at it every day. My head is here at Aston Villa. It is a club that opened its doors to me when I came to England, so I have a lot of affection and a lot of love for it.
"I have been here for five years, so I have a big responsibility in our team now. I am one of our captains and that drives me a lot. I know the player I am, and I know the player I can become."
