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Arsenal remain keen on signing Aston Villa ace Douglas Luiz

By Ritayan Chatterjee on December 20, 2023

Arsenal reportedly remain keen on signing Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz in the upcoming transfer window, as per the transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

It has widely been suggested that the Gunners have been contemplating purchasing a new midfielder in January as a potential replacement for Thomas Partey – who has been struggling with fitness issues over the last few months.

A few players have been mentioned as potential targets for Arsenal with Joao Palhinha, Andre Trindade and Arthur Vermeeran being among them. However, it has been reported that Luiz is their primary option.

But, Aston Villa reportedly don’t want to let their star man leave next year so it was thought that Arsenal could opt to shift focus to alternative targets to reinforce their engine room after knowing the Villans’ stance.

However, writing on Twitter, Romano has reported that although Unai Emery’s side are desperate to keep hold of the Brazilian, Arsenal haven’t given up on their hopes and remain keen on securing his signature.

Luiz to Arsenal

The journalist further states that Arsenal consider Luiz as the ‘perfect’ option to reinforce their engine room so they could opt to make a concrete approach to secure his signature next year.

Romano wrote:

“Douglas Luiz remains Arsenal fav option as midfielder, he’s considered the perfect player.

…but Aston Villa remain on their position as they don’t want to sell Douglas.

No changes since November, yet.”

The midfielder still has two and a half years left in his current contract. So Aston Villa are in a strong position to demand a big fee if they are forced to cash-in on him in the upcoming window and it has been reported that Emery’s side have slapped a whopping £100m price tag on the South American’s head.

So, Arsenal will have to break the bank to purchase the midfielder if they formalise their interest next year. But, it has been suggested that having spent over £200m last summer, the Gunners’ January budget has been restricted due to FFP regulations. Therefore, it is looking highly unlikely that Arsenal will be able to purchase the midfielder in January to bolster their engine room.