Having missed out on two of their key midfield targets in the span of days, Arsenal are now weighing up the option of signing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, according to reports.
With mere days left in the transfer window, Arsenal still haven’t been able to sign any new players over the last month. The Gunners have seen the departure of Callum Chambers, Sead Kolasinac, Pablo Mari, Folarin Balogun and Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
However, Edu has been unable to bring in new faces to reinforce the squad. The latest disappointment came in the pursuit of Arthur Melo. The Gunners had been looking to land Arthur for over two months. However, the deal ultimately fell through due to a last-minute refusal by the club hierarchy.
Arsenal are also set to miss out on another Brazilian target. Newcastle United have won the race for Bruno Guimaraes. Edu has been an admirer of the Lyon midfielder for over a year. However, a lack of proactiveness from the North London club have allowed competitors to swoop in with a move for the 24-year-old.
Reports now suggest that Arsenal have turned their attention to Douglas Luiz. According to the Evening Standard, the Gunners are interested in signing the Aston Villa midfielder in the January transfer window, with manager Arteta a keen admirer of the player since his time at Manchester City.
🚨EXCL: Arsenal are set to lodge a bid for Aston Villa midfielder, Douglas Luiz. Mikel Arteta is a huge admirer of The Brazilian midfielder since their time at Man City together. Douglas Luiz would welcome a move to North London.
#AFC #AVFC pic.twitter.com/yDiy1ObNn0— SportPesa Kenya (@SportPesa) January 27, 2022
The 23-year-old has established himself as a mainstay in Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa team and Tite’s Brazil side. Luiz has played as a single pivot in Gerrard’s 4-3-3 set-up, but can also operate in a double pivot or as an interior. He has 17 Premier League appearances so far this season, 16 coming as a starter. He also has 3 assists to his name.
Mikel Arteta was Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager at the Etihad when City signed Douglas Luiz from Vasco Da Gama. The Brazilian never represented City due to work permit difficulties and spent two loan stints with Spanish side Girona.
In 2019, the Brazilian midfielder was sold to Aston Villa. Although the 23-year-old never played under Pep Guardiola, Luiz has won plaudits from the Spanish manager. When Manchester City faced Aston Villa in April last year, Guardiola praised Luiz:
“He’s a guy who’s played a lot of minutes, he’s an important player for Aston Villa, A guy who’s clever with the ball, he’s so physical and strong. I’m happy he’s developing really, really well. Today, when he was involved in the game defensively, he was good.”
It appears Italian side Juventus could play a key role in Luiz’s future. Aston Villa are currently vying to sign Uruguayan Rodrigo Bentancur from the Italian side. Should the Villains seal a move, Luiz could find himself with excessive competition for a role in the starting line-up. Marvelous Nakamba’s return from injury, the signing of Phillipe Coutinho, and Jacob Ramsey’s emergence could all factor in.
Another important consideration for Arsenal would be the contract situation of Douglas Luiz at Villa Park. The 23-year-old currently has a contract until 2023. 90min understands that Villa have no intention to sell the Brazilian, on the contrary, they seek to extend his contract.
Moreover, Aston Villa also reportedly rejected a £30 million bid for Luiz from an unnamed Premier League side this window. Villa boss Steven Gerrard praised the midfielder recently, but admitted contract talks were not underway yet. He said:
“Douglas is a fantastic player, really talented and we rate him extremely high,” Gerrard confirmed when asked about the Brazilian at the weekend.”
“We want to keep all of our best players around. We understand there will be interest in our best players as well, we don’t have a problem with that.”
“But yes, we want to keep all of our top talents around, we see Douglas as a top talent, a really wonderful footballer on his day. It’s my job to try to make this team and this squad as strong as it can be, littered with top footballers.”
Gerrard confirmed when asked about the Brazilian:
“No, we haven’t opened contract talks yet with Douglas,”
“I think in this period and in this window, it has been the case of trying to strengthen the current squad, make additions and, also, find destinations for some of our younger players in terms of loans.”
Read More:
- Another Major Transfer Setback as Arsenal Pulls out of Race for Brazilian Midfielder, Replacement Identified
- Premier League Club Approaches Arsenal With a Loan Deal for £15m Rated Keeper, Player Open to Move
- Arsenal are Doomed as They Miss Out on Another Key Midfield Target, Fellow PL Club Wins Race
With just days left in the transfer window, Edu would need to act quickly if Arsenal wish to bring in Douglas Luiz. Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves has also been mentioned as a potential target. However, with the given time constraint, the Gunners cannot afford to just identify options, and it is imperative that they identify a priority target and dedicate maximum effort in sealing the transfer.
Douglas Luiz would be an upgrade over certain options Arteta currently has. Although he likes to play higher up the field, he has demonstrated great maturity and understanding even when deployed in a deeper role. At just 23 years of age, Luiz also has time on his side and can be expected to only get better with time.
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