Weston McKennie is set for a return to England after a spell with Leeds United in the 2022/23 season as Aston Villa looks to swap him for Brazilian star Douglas Luiz.
The 25-year-old has been with Juventus for three seasons, part of which was spent at Elland Road. He was unable to do much to help the Lilywhites beat relegation and was believed to be on his way out of Juventus.
However, he revived his career at the Allianz Stadium and made 34 league appearances for them in the 2023/24 Italian Serie A season.
Luiz, meanwhile, has been a revelation for Villa since joining them straight from a loan spell at Girona from Manchester City. In that time, City, Arsenal, Manchester United and even Barcelona have enquired about signing him. Reports also claimed that he was close to joining Arsenal in the 2023/24 summer transfer window but the deal did not manifest.
His season at Villa showed that he chose to channel the frustration into his performances, which has now attracted the Old Lady’s attention.
Luiz, valued at £51 million, scored nine goals from the midfield for Villa in their unprecedented league season in which they achieved UEFA Champions League football for the first time in almost two decades.
Unai Emery often took the time to praise him in the media, leading many to believe that he is one of the Spaniard’s untouchables in the current Villa crop.
This is why it is a surprise that the club is willingly participating in a swap deal for him and McKennie, who is valued at around £25 million, half of what Luiz would cost to buy outright.
Italian football media are floating the reports while also emphasising the fact that Juve are searching for midfield reinforcements thanks to the turbulent season they had.
With Luiz as their primary target, they will most likely have to toss in some cash in addition to McKennie for the Brazilian thanks to both players having transfer values that are very far apart from each other.
The deal has also been reported as unlikely by Italian transfer market pundit Matteo Moretto, who insinuates that Villa may want more than what Juve intend to offer even with a direct replacement like McKennie thrown into the mix.
Juventus are also believed to be exploring other options which include the outright sale of McKennie and a cheaper alternative to Luiz as the transfer market window draws closer to opening.
