Chelsea have reportedly knocked back a €20 million bid from Arsenal for David Luiz, who looks set to be on his way out of Stamford Bridge.
French publication Le 10 Sport are sensationally claiming that Arsenal had lodged a €20 million bid for David Luiz. The Brazilian defender is on the radar of Arsenal. But, according to the report, Chelsea have decided to reject the bid but look open to an improved offer from their London rivals.
David Luiz’s tryst with Chelsea has been quite a rollercoaster. After being made the most expensive defender in world football by PSG in order to sign him from Chelsea, the player scored the header to knock Chelsea out of the Champions League.
The association was not meant to end there as he returned to Chelsea in the summer of 2016 as Antonio Conte took charge of the London giants. Luiz’s return to the club was a runaway success, with Brazilian portraying the leadership, maturity and guile that were once lacking in his displays during his first stint at the club.
The 2017-18 campaign though, saw Chelsea stumble again. And amidst all of the disappointments, there began rumbles of a rift between Conte and Luiz, with the Italian’s decision to exclude the player from several matchday squads hinting at the same.
While Luiz did manage to add another trophy to his collection – the FA Cup – the Brazilian has since been linked to other clubs, despite the near-certainty of Antonio Conte walking out of the club. The links to Manchester United made sense, with the player having featured under Jose Mourinho.
But, the latest development has caught everyone by surprise. With the arrival of Unai Emery at Arsenal, the club have made it a priority to strengthen the defence. Stephan Lichtsteiner has arrived on a free transfer. But the former PSG manager wants to add to the quality and depth in the central defence department.
Luiz represents a profile that already has bags of experience of playing in the Premier League along with the fact that the Chelsea defender might be more accessible compared to other transfer targets.
The report indicates that Arsenal had lodged a €20 million bid for the Brazilian, a bid that Chelsea have knocked back. But, what is interesting is that the Blues do not seem to be refusing the possibility of a deal happening between the two clubs for Luiz.
The ball is now in Arsenal’s court. The Gunners are yet to return with an improved offer but will be boosted by Chelsea’s stand on the availability of the Brazilian star.
