Aston Villa are privy to Arsenal’s interest in their Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz and are reportedly working against any kind of contact between them.
Luiz has been with Aston Villa since 2019 when he signed for the club from Manchester City after spending two years on loan in Spain with Girona.
The 25-year-old has since developed into a bright midfielder in the English top flight and has been the subject of transfer interest from all across Europe for the last two seasons.
Arsenal are currently chasing after his signature despite the former Vasco Da Gama academy player being contracted to the Villans until 2026. The Birmingham-based club value him at £50 million but could demand an even higher fee to prevent the Gunners from being able to sign him in January.
The club are looking to sign Luiz because of the incoming January departures of Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny for the Africa Cup of Nations. Both players are also reportedly playing their last season at the club, which means that Luiz’s arrival in January is the club’s way of helping the midfielder adapt quickly to life at the club as a replacement for both players.
The Gunners will table a bid worth more than the £25 million they tabled for the Brazilian in 2022. Villa have no intention of listening to the bids but are ready to outprice the North Londoners if they are forced to.
Other clubs are paying close attention to the situation as well, which is unsettling the Aston Villa administration.
They seem to have found a replacement for Luiz, however.
Their sights are set on signing Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United target Bryan Cristante, who currently plies his trade at AS Roma in the Italian Serie A.
The 28-year-old has been a consistent performer for club and country and is now the target in a potential three-day transfer battle.
Villa do not want to lose Douglas Luiz but if they do, they will reinvest the money in Cristante, who is reported to cost £25 million to £30 million.
Reports claim that Villa are willing to pay the sum for the Italian, whose versatility they are mostly after. Cristante, like Luiz, can play all across the midfield and in the heart of defence. He is a like-for-like replacement for Luiz.
Aston Villa also have the upper hand in this race thanks to their sporting director, Monchi, who was responsible for signing Cristante for Roma in 2018.
It remains to be seen what they intend to do with Luiz and if the Brazilian will make way for Cristante, who Unai Emery is reportedly adamant to sign.
