Alan Brazil has tipped Douglas Luiz to join Arsenal in January if they make a £100 million offer for the Aston Villa star.
The January transfer window only remains weeks away from commencing, and plenty of top clubs are looking to strengthen their squads. In particular, Arsenal intend to bring the right player to elevate their quality and help them over the finishing line on multiple fronts, with Douglas Luiz emerging as a target.
The Gunners are in the Premier League title race while also taking up a strong position in the Champions League ahead of Monday’s knockout stage draw. Mikel Arteta might have decided on crucial transfer targets and intends to bring a defensive midfielder on priority. However, there are calls to sign a striker and a defender.
Arsenal have been determined to sign Douglas Luiz, with Arteta ready to rekindle his interest in the £100 million-rated Aston Villa star. The Midlands outfit have found themselves in a solid position after beating Manchester City and the Gunners in the space of a few days and could potentially even charge for the title.
For Unai Emery, keeping hold of his critical stars remains the primary objective ahead of January. Douglas Luiz is one of the most influential performers, with the midfielder reportedly happy to stay at the club.
Still, talkSPORT host Alan Brazil believes the Brazilian international might lean towards joining Arsenal if they make an offer after claims of Aston Villa placing a £100 million-plus price tag. He said, “He’s a good player and he’s pulling all the strings for them but for £100 million? No.”
“I think if Arsenal came in, this is a good debate this one because Villa are a top, top club. But Arsenal, you could say top dogs in London, you could say that. They are very strong. I think it would be hard for him if the money came in and Villa said we have had a bit, it’s a lot, do you want to go. I think he would go.”
There are questions about whether Arsenal are in a position to pay around £100 million for another midfielder in the space of six months. The Gunners have considered Joao Palhinha as an alternative to Luiz but would probably explore a move for the £100 million-rated Aston Villa star before deciding on other options.
Some other reports have claimed Aston Villa have already started looking for potential replacements should Luiz leave. Signing the Brazilian would strengthen Arsenal for the second part of the season and probably for the long-term future.
Arteta will have to find a long-term successor for the injury-ravaged Thomas Partey and might urge the club to accelerate the plans to bring Luiz in January. They might as well sign the Brazilian over Palhinha or someone else, with the latter seemingly not a long-term solution for their midfield.
