Juventus have discussed the possibility of a potential transfer to steal long-time Arsenal target Douglas Luiz. It is reportedthat only player exchange deals are being considered, and the Italian outlet has discussed the prospect of Samuel Iling Jr and Weston McKennie in a swap deal to tempt Aston Villa.
Juventus Set to Discuss Potential Player Swap Deal with Aston Villa for Douglas Luiz
A Former Arsenal Target
Fabrizio Romano reports that Juventus and Aston Villa are “set to talk again about Douglas Luiz in the next days.” It is also believed that a deal is only possible if additional players are included in an exchange plus a cash transfer. This shows a change in stance for the selling club, who were initially adamant that their midfielder was strictly not for sale in the Winter transfer window of the 2023/24 season. Arsenal were previously the club most interested in the 26-year-old’ssignature, with Romano revealing “Arsenal love him.“ They also had three bids rejected on deadline day of the 2022 Summer window. Arsenal has been linked with a plethora of midfielders ever since, but could still return to negotiations with the Claret and Blue.
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In an attempt to meet Villa’s requests, Juventus have discussed Samuel Iling Jr and Weston McKennie as potential options in exchange for Douglas Luiz. The former is a 20-year-old English talent who initially began playing through Chelsea’syouth system, before moving to Italy. He made 24 appearances in the Serie A last season playing as a left-sided wide midfielder.
The latter proposed option is a more experienced central midfielder with 29 league starts in the Italian top division as a midfielder last season; McKennie could be useful to Aston Villa in a player exchange as a positional replacement for Douglas Luiz. The 25-year-old also had a loan stint in the Premier League, when he joined Leeds for the second half of the 2022/23 season. However, he struggled to make an impact in his 19 league appearances and could not save his team from relegation.
Aston Villa May Still Be Reluctant to Sell Douglas Luiz
Following a successful finish to the 2023/24 season, Emery helped his team secure Champions League football for the first time since the competition was rebranded. Having already signed Ross Barkley to their midfield, Aston Villa could follow up with some more incomings with interest in Connor Gallagher also reported.
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Achieving such heights – and then subsequently losing a vital midfielder would be far from the ideal scenario for Villa. As such, this begs the question of how likely it is for Douglas Luiz to leave this Summer. The opportunity to earn some additional funds for the club, whilst also maintaining the squad size in a player + cash deal would make sense. Given the FFP regulations in place, Aston Villa may be in a position where they should be exploring these opportunities to sell in the squad.
On the other hand, it could be argued that the potential incomings discussed from Juventus – struggle to move the needle in the Premier League and would be a downgrade from what Douglas Luiz has offered thus far.
