Arsenal are reportedly planning a fresh summer swoop for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz after failing to sign him in the January transfer window.
According to a report by Football Insider, Arsenal are said to be keeping a close eye on the situation involving Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, as the Gunners want to bolster their midfield options.
Arsenal’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League have taken a hit in the last week. The Gunners lost consecutive games to Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion, putting Tottenham in pole position to finish fourth.
Mikel Arteta has benefited from the absence of European football this season. As a result, the Gunners have escaped the kind of fixture overload and injury crisis that may follow lengthy European runs. Arsenal’s lack of quality squad depth, though, was exposed last week as seen by their collapse following injuries to Kieran Tierney and Thomas Partey.
Due to these absences, Granit Xhaka was forced to fill in at left-back against Brighton. Taking him, alongside Partey, out of the engine room hurt the Gunners’ ability to retain possession in the middle of the park. It has served as a stinging reminder that Arsenal will need to strengthen not only in the striker position but also in other areas in the summer window.
One such area of the squad in desperate need of reinforcements is the engine room. As such, Aston Villa’s Brazilian midfielder, Douglas Luiz, is still very much on Arsenal’s radar and has been earmarked for an approach in the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old was the subject of multiple bids in the January transfer window, all knocked back by the Midlands club.
The deep-lying midfielder, who has nine senior caps for Brazil, joined Aston Villa from Manchester City in the summer of 2019 following the club’s promotion back to the Premier League.
Since his arrival, the Brazilian international has been a key performer for the Villans, with over 100 competitive appearances for the club, chipping in with four goals and eight assists in the process. He has made a total of 27 appearances in the Premier League this season, 25 of which have been starts.
However, with just 15 months or so remaining on his current deal at Villa Park and the player yet to pen fresh terms, it appears that the Midlands outfit are now open to the idea of receiving a significant fee for his signature, as opposed to losing him for nothing in the summer of 2023.
Luiz’s departure would not only generate a sizable fee but also free up space for Steven Gerrard’s top holding midfield targets, which include the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Ibrahim Sangare, and Yves Bissouma.
As far as Arsenal are concerned, Luiz would be a good option to cover the rotational spot in the midfield set to be vacated by Mohamed Elneny this summer, but only for a reasonable price. At 23, Luiz’s best years are ahead of him, and he is a good passer of the ball, although certainly not at the level of Leicester City star Youri Tielemans, who has the potential to elevate Arsenal’s midfield presence.