Arsenal have suffered a major blow in their pursuit of the services of 25-year-old Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz.
According to Dean Jones via GiveMeSport, Arsenal are interested in acquiring the services of Douglas Luiz to reinforce their midfield ahead of the ongoing season. The 25-year-old has been in sensational form in the recent past and there is a lot of interest in his services. But, it seems the Gunners might not be able to sign him as he is close to committing his future to Aston Villa.
Luiz joined Villa in the summer of 2019 after they gained promotion to the English top flight. He has gone from strength to strength over the years and has managed to establish himself as a key part of their team.
Since the arrival of Unai Emery, the club have managed to break into the top half of the table and the Brazilian midfielder seems to have taken his game to another level. He has been a standout performer for Villa over the past 18 months and it has put him on the radar of top clubs.
In the ongoing season, he has featured in 46 matches and has racked up over 3,700 minutes of first-team football. The 25-year-old has found the back of the net on 10 occasions and has as many assists to his name.
Arsenal are one of the clubs keen on his signatures. The Gunners want to reinforce their midfield ahead of next season. Joringho is already 32 and isn’t getting younger. Meanwhile, the future of Thomas Partey is uncertain, as a result, they do need reinforcement and Luiz has been a top target for them on the back of his performances.
But, it seems the North London club are all set to miss out on the 25-year-old as he seems close to renewing his deal with Villa. While the current contract runs until the summer of 2026, they are willing to reward him with a new deal with improved terms to ensure he continues at the club.
According to Jones, there are high chances that Luiz will pen down a new deal and commit his future at the club despite interest from Arsenal.
Jones via GiveMeSport: “The chances of Douglas Luiz signing a new contract are indeed growing and while that is very good news for Villa it has a knock-on effect for teams who were looking at him as a potential transfer target for this summer. From what I hear around this it really would be a surprise if he leaves Villa now.
“The team most actively linked with him have been Arsenal, so I think this will bring new focus on their situation in the middle of the park and how they grow out for next season. It probably makes the [Martin] Zubimendi situation more important for them. This is a real sign of Villa’s status and ambition if they can keep a player like that at a time when he is being pursued by a title-chasing side.”
Jones believes it will be a big surprise if Luiz ends up leaving Villa in the near future. While it is a blow for the Gunners, these are great signs for Villa. If they do manage to keep hold of the 25-year-old despite interest from one of the title contenders, other players could also end up committing their future to the club.
All of this Luiz and Watkins leaving talk is complete garbage both will remain at Villa as will Bailey and a host of others none of them will leave, why would they it’s likely that Villa will finish in 4th place securing Champions league football and the owners who are mega rich will back the club to the hilt, elite players will be signed for next season .
Let’s face it Aston Villa is going from strength to strength and who knows where that may take them