According to Football Transfers, Aston Villa could sell midfielder Douglas Luiz to Arsenal for £80 million if he pushes for an exit during the January transfer window.
The Gunners have been fancied to invest on a new midfielder with the prospect of Thomas Partey leaving the club. The Ghanaian star is on the radar of Saudi Arabian clubs and he could make the switch during the winter transfer window. In that case, Arsenal are likely to pursue a replacement and Luiz has been earmarked as the main target.
As per Football Transfers, Villa have set an astronomical price tag of £110 million for Luiz which is £50 million more than what the Gunners could be willing to offer. However, the source claim that Unai Emery’s side could lower their demands to around £80 million, suppose Luiz asks to leave the club for the Gunners.
Very good signing
Luiz was a top target for the Gunners before the transfer deadline in September 2022 but their £25 million bid was rejected by the Villans. At the time, the Brazilian star was not consistent enough with his performances and there were questions raised over why Arsenal were looking to sign him as injury cover for Partey.
Just over a year later, the 25-year-old has become one of Villa’s most influential players under manager Unai Emery and he is an undisputed starter for them at the moment. Luiz has won 2.4 tackles, 5.3 duels and making 6.4 recoveries per appearance this season and has also bagged 6 goals and 4 assists for the Midlands side.
With his impressive development, £60 million appears a fair value for a transfer but as Football Transfers said, Villa may want at least £80 million to consider his sale. Whether Arsenal have the funds is the big question mark. They could be walking a tight rope with Financial Fair Play after their summer spending. The Gunners only signed David Raya on loan from Brentford last summer as they could not afford his permanent signature due to FFP concerns.
