Arsenal will lodge another attempt to sign Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz in January, according to the latest reports. The Brazilian was the subject of late interest from the Gunners in the summer window, but the Villans were determined to keep their star midfielder in the midlands.
Following injuries to Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey, Mikel Arteta had a bit of midfield crisis earlier on this season. Edu and Co. subsequently launched two Deadline Day bids for Luiz but both attempts, with the latter believed to be in the region of £23million, were rejected by Villa.
Speaking after all the drama, Villa boss manager Steven Gerrard spoke about how he was certain that Luiz would understand the club's stance. "I've got confidence that he’ll understand the situation and the club’s decision," he said. "We didn’t want to lose a very important player and a top player so late in the window.
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"From a personal point of view, I very much back the club’s stance on that. I spoke to him face-to-face yesterday and he understood where we were at and the position the club was in. He very much respects the decision."
Luiz then took to Instagram to reaffirm his commitment to the club: "100% focused here! @avfcofficial," he wrote. Nevertheless, as he was understood to be keen on a move then, and as he has less than a year to go on his current contract, Villa may be encouraged to sell him in January or risk losing him on a free to the Gunners next summer.
Now, as per The Sun, Arteta is becoming increasingly concerned about the recurring absence of injury-prone Partey and wants a top quality alternative to reinforce his squad. He hopes Villa could finally be persuaded to cash in on Luiz in the New Year rather than lose the 24-year-old Brazilian international for nothing.
The report adds that the Premier League leaders are likely to offer less than the £23million they were willing to pay just over four weeks ago. Luiz is clearly someone Arteta likes and fits the profile of player Arsenal have targeted in recent months. Whether Edu can negotiate a deal this time around, though, remains to be seen.
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