Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard may have handed Arsenal a boost in their chase of midfielder Douglas Luiz, as the Brazilian is yet to be offered a new contract.
It means Luiz will only have one year remaining on his deal at the end of the current campaign, potentially meaning Villa could accept a cut-price offer for the player.
Mikel Arteta is on the hunt for midfield reinforcements, with a number of options linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this month including Luiz, Arthur Melo, Renato Sanches and Georginio Wijnaldum.
However, football.london understands that while a midfielder is wanted, it is not a pressing priority for the Gunners in the current transfer window with Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey both set to return from suspension imminently.
Bolstering the area remains a long-term goal of the club, however, and Villa midfielder Luiz is a reported target of the Gunners.
Arsenal legend Ian Wright has previously spoken highly of the player, too.
“The movement Villa have got up front and with their natural swag now,” Wright said on his podcast back in 2020 after Arsenal were beaten 3-0 by Villa. “They have got defenders and midfielders who are ready [to go the next level].
"Someone like Douglas Luiz, he is ready to be one of the best midfield players in the Premier League. He is so underrated, at the minute. They blasted us. We had no chance. It was men against boys."
Now Gerrard has confirmed that no contract talks have commenced with the player - who has made 94 appearances since his £15m move from Man City in 2019 - potentially green-lighting an Arsenal transfer swoop.
"No, we haven't opened contract talks yet with Douglas," Gerrard confirmed, as reported by Birmingham Live.
"I think in this period and in this window, it has been the case of trying to strengthen the current squad, make additions and, also, find destinations for some of our younger players in terms of loans.
"Dougie has done OK for us. We've been happy with his training level and the performances that he has given.
"We still think that there's room for him to get better and improve. You know, he had a bit of an injury when we first arrived and we still think there's another gear or two for Dougie to go into.
"He's doing us a job as a No.6 at the moment. We know that he maybe prefers to play a bit more advanced but he's helped us out an awful lot on the back of Nakamba's injury.
"We rate the player extremely high and we're hoping from now until the end of the season, he can really perform at his best and help the team moving forward."
