Aston Villa have been urged to sign Chelsea star Conor Gallagher if Arsenal complete a deal to sign Douglas Luiz on Deadline Day.
The Gunners are pursuing a deal to sign Luiz after Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny suffered injuries earlier this week, leaving Mikel Arteta's midfield options slightly bare, football.london understands. A huge clash against Manchester United awaits Arsenal on Sunday with Arteta's side looking to make it six wins from six heading into a busy period of fixtures.
The Gunners are said to be willing to pay up to £25million for the Villa star who has under a year left on his current deal, with the Brazilian thought to be keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium. Steven Gerrard's side have been urged to make a move for Gallagher if Luiz leaves, though a deal may prove difficult with the Blues being hampered by injuries themselves.
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Gallagher enjoyed a successful loan spell with Crystal Palace last term and is set to stay at Stamford Bridge this season and play a key role in Thomas Tuchel's side. Ex-Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie believes his former side should do all they can to sign the 22-year-old from Chelsea if Luiz complete a move to the Emirates Stadium on deadline day.
Speaking on Sky Sports' coverage of Deadline Day, Hendrie said: "The Luiz deal is looking like it’s getting closer. There has to be a replacement that’s in that midfield area.
"Personally I would have liked to have seen them go for someone like Conor Gallagher, a midfielder who has got bags of energy. I think he would fit the bill at Aston Villa.
"I know it’s not easy to prise him away from the club, but I do feel that they had to bring someone in and Dendoncker being available, yes he can have the energy and legs to get up and down the pitch. I think that’s an area that Stevie is obviously looking to replace Luiz, they had to be seen to be buying someone in.”
Villa Boss Steven Gerrard seemingly opened the door for Luiz to leave the club following the 2-1 loss to Arsenal on Wednesday, a game in which the Brazilian made a big impact from the substitutes bench after scoring the equaliser directly from a corner kick. When asked about Luiz's future, Gerrard responded: "I am not in control of that. There are more than two people in control of that, and I am certainly not one of them.
"That will be Douglas, that will be his agent, that will be what happens. I would like to keep him, he is a fantastic player.
"I have made that abundantly clear. We are not in a position where we need to lose our top players, but at the same time, Douglas has got a year to go, and it is one of those really touchy situations where the club has to do what is best for the club, not necessarily what is best for me."
Arteta has made it clear to the Gunners' hierarchy that he wants to add at least one more signing to his squad before the transfer deadline tonight, with technical director Edu now working on a deal to bring Luiz to north London. It could be a move that would strengthen Arsenal's squad whilst weakening a rival if Villa are to take Hendrie's advice and do everything they can to lure Gallagher away from Stamford Bridge.
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