Aston Villa could slap a £60 million price tag on key Arsenal target Douglas Luiz, with the ball now in the Gunners’ court to decide on the move.
According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal must pay at least £60 million in January to sign Douglas Luiz. Aston Villa have no interest in selling the midfielder. But if they have to, expect suitors, like the Gunners, to pay their asking price.
There are not many players in the Premier League like Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian, since coming through from Manchester City, has made a name for himself at Aston Villa and is now considered a key star under Unai Emery.
In the summer of 2022, Arsenal came really close to signing him. But Aston Villa rejected a series of bids from the North Londoners to keep the Brazilian despite him entering the last year of his deal. Afterwards, the Premier League club extended the 25-year-old midfielder’s contract and are open to tabling a new proposal amid fresh links to the Gunners.
What is new in this saga is that Mikel Arteta has decided to reignite his interest in the midfielder but knows Aston Villa are uninterested in a mid-season sale. However, if the Gunners wish to pursue the deal any further, they must pay at least £60 million to sign the Brazilian.
Whether that price tag falls into their range remains the question. But in the latter stages of the summer window, Arsenal have shown concerns about finances. Aston Villa are under no pressure to sell him now. But much will depend on Luiz’s preference whether to stay or move on.
Arsenal have felt the need to sign a new midfielder in January and consider Luiz their top priority. The requirement has stemmed from Thomas Partey’s latest injury, which will keep him out for another 6-8 weeks. Irrespective of how fit he is when making his return, Arteta wants a succession plan in place and considers the Aston Villa star as the man to replace the Ghanaian.
The Premier League title hopefuls have also scouted Martin Zubimendi, with plenty of similarities between the Spaniard and the 25-year-old Brazilian midfielder. He, too, will become available for around £52 million by triggering a release clause in his Real Sociedad contract, which appears closer to Aston Villa’s £60 million asking price.
