Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz has signed a new long-term deal to stay at Villa Park after a move to Arsenal failed to materialise on Transfer Deadline Day.
The Gunners had three Deadline Day bids rejected by Villa after the Brazilian was identified as a transfer target following injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny. Luiz was said to be attracted to a move to the Emirates Stadium due to Mikel Arteta's interest in the player, but now a January transfer move looks to be over.
The Brazilian midfielder's contract was set to expire next summer and talks over a renewal had proved to be unsuccessful up until now. Villa are said to have started negotiations again over a new deal for Luiz following Deadline Day after Arsenal refused to improve their £25million final offer.
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Villa boss Steven Gerrard commented on Luiz's contract situation during the summer transfer window and admitted it was up to the player and his agent as to whether a renewal could be agreed. Gerrard said: "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."
Speaking after signing his contract renewal, the 24-year-old said: "I am so happy. I love this club [Aston Villa].
"I love the people here, the staff, the players and now I'm so comfortable and so happy. This club opened the door for me to come here, to the Premier League, I'm just so happy."
Luiz is said to have signed a contract extension that will see him remain as a Villa player until 2026. The news now means that the Gunners will need to look elsewhere for a central midfield signing, with Leicester star Youri Tielemans still an option to the north London outfit.
Tielemans has so far refused to sign a new contract at the King Power Stadium and will become a free agent next summer. Arsenal could look to secure a cut-price deal in the January transfer window so that they do not miss out on a long-standing target, as they have with Luiz.
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