Aston Villa and Manchester City are interested in signing Douglas Luiz, and Newcastle are plotting a swap deal with Sandro Tonali going the other way.
According to a report from Calciomercato, Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Newcastle are all interested in the services of Douglas Luiz. Unai Emery’s team could push to re-sign the Brazilian, who hasn’t really made the most out of his move to Juventus.
City seek more quality in the centre of the park, and someone with an ample amount of Premier League experience like Luiz could certainly help their cause. But, Newcastle could end up surprising everyone with a swap deal involving Sandro Tonali. The former AC Milan star wants return to Italy and Juventus would be open to having him in their squad.
While things didn’t work out for Luiz at Manchester City back in the day, he moved to Villa in search of a more prominent role. He had a five-year-long spell at the Birmingham-based club. During his time there, he established himself as one of the best midfielders.
He was a key figure in Emery’s team, but the need to raise funds to further bolster their squad forced them to cash in on him. They ended up selling him to Juventus last summer in a deal worth €50 million. Unfortunately, the move hasn’t worked out.
The player has struggled to establish himself in Thiago Motta’s team. He has racked up less than 800 minutes of first team minutes and has already been linked with a move away. Villa have emerged as one of the leading candidates to sign him.
Luiz could secure a return to the Premier League
Emery would love to have him back on his team, given how important he was to his system. They want to continue growing as a team, and his presence in the midfield will certainly help. But, they could face competition from Manchester City, who also like him.
While the previous association with the City Group wasn’t pleasing for him, Pep Guardiola is interested in having him in his squad, having watched him up close during his time at Villa. He has all the qualities to succeed at City, and they have the financial strength to get a deal over the line.
Newcastle could look for a swap deal
Apart from Villa and City, Newcastle have also been linked with him. Any deal with the Magpies could also see Sandro Tonali go the other way as the player wants to return to Serie A, even though he is not actively pushing to leave the Tyneside club.
While it won’t be that a straightforward deal, Newcastle’s interest in Luiz and Tonali’s desire to return could play a part. Meanwhile, a deal could be done for around €40 million unless Juventus must avoid a capital loss.
