MX23RW : Thursday, January 30 09:39:56| >> :60:1398:1398:

Arsenal 'told to pay £50m for in-demand Premier League midfielder'

Arsenal 'told to pay £50m for in-demand Premier League midfielder'
© Reuters
Arsenal are reportedly told they will need to shell out £50m to secure the signature of transfer target Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa.

Arsenal have reportedly been told they will need to shell out £50m to secure the signature of transfer target Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa.

The Gunners have been admirers of the Brazil international for a long time and are believed to have made a bid to sign him during the summer of 2022, but Villa chose not to sell at the time.

Under Unai Emery, the 26-year-old midfielder has cemented his role as a crucial figure in Villa's midfield and emerged as one of the team's standout performers in 2023-24, tallying 10 goals and 10 assists across all competitions.

In addition to his goal contributions, Luiz maintained a passing accuracy of 89% in the Premier League last term, along with averaging 1.7 tackles won and 4.2 duels won per match.

The Brazilian arrived at Villa Park from Manchester City at the start of the 2019-20 season for a fee of around £15m plus add-ons.

 Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz on March 17, 2023© Reuters

Aston Villa willing to part ways with Douglas Luiz amid concerns over PL spending rules

According to the Mirror, the Villains are considering parting ways with Luiz for around £50m, as they need to comply with the Premier League's Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

The report adds that with qualification secured for next season's Champions League, Villa's finances have received a significant boost, but the club will still need to balance new signings with player sales in order to avoid sanction.

Premier League clubs facing pressure to comply with the league's PSR rules have until the June 30 deadline to get their finances in order.

Considering Luiz cost the Lions just £15m to bring him to Villa Park, if they were to receive the reported asking price for the Brazilian, it would represent a significant profit for the club.

However, it is understood that Arsenal are not the only European giants keeping an eye on the highly-rated midfielder.

Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie pictured in December 2023© Reuters

Luiz attracting interest from several European giants

Juventus are believed to have signalled their interest in taking Luiz to the Serie A and are willing to include USA international Weston McKennie, along with around £25m to complete a deal.

AC Milan are also keeping tabs on the Brazilian's midfielder but are yet to make a formal offer.

Villa, meanwhile, are reportedly in advanced talks to sign Ross Barkley from Luton Town on a permanent transfer and have also made enquiries with Chelsea about a potential deal for Conor Gallagher.

Former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi has also been linked with a move to Villa Park, which would see him reunite with Emery, who was his manager at the Emirates before Arteta's arrival.

Arsenal, on the other hand, are preparing for the departure of several existing players this summer, including the likes of Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The Gunners have prioritised bringing in a new centre-forward in the off-season to bolster their squad after their current attacking duo of Gabriel Jesus and Nketiah managed just nine goals between them last season.

ID:545586:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6653:
Written by
Devesh Jaganath

Douglas Luiz future - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Douglas Luiz

Click here for more stories about Arsenal

Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz celebrates after the match on November 12, 2023
Read Next:
Transfer rumours: Luiz to Juventus, Lo Celso to Real Betis, Hutchinson to Ipswich
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free daily transfer newsletter! Sent twice a day during the transfer window.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool22165154213353
2Arsenal23138244212347
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2313553327644
4Manchester CityMan City23125647301741
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle23125641271441
6Chelsea23117545301540
7Bournemouth23117541261540
8Aston Villa2310763435-137
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2381053531434
10Fulham238963431333
11Brentford2394104240231
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd2385102832-429
13Crystal Palace236982630-427
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham2376102844-1627
15Tottenham HotspurSpurs2373134637924
16Everton225891928-923
17Leicester CityLeicester2345142549-2417
18Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2344153252-2016
19Ipswich TownIpswich2337132147-2616
20Southampton2313191653-376


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!