Juventus and Aston Villa have agreed on a massive three-player transfer deal. Douglas Luiz will move to Juventus, while Samuel Iling Jr and Enzo Barrenechea will head to England. This news finally concludes a prolonged transfer saga between the two clubs.
Juventus and Aston Villa Set to Confirm New Signings – Douglas Luiz
Douglas Luiz Leaving Aston Villa
Fabrizio Romano announces that a “verbal agreement” has finally been reached between Juventus and Aston Villa on a big three-player swap deal. The news of a deal being in the works broke out before the transfer window had opened for Premier League clubs. With several twists and turns along the way, we have finally seen the trademark “here we go” to end what has been quite a prolonged transfer saga.
The swap deal will see Douglas Luiz join Juventus, in exchange for Samuel Iling Jr, Enzo Barrenechea, and an additional fee of £23.7 million for Aston Villa. It is expected for the Brazilian midfielder to complete his medical with the Brazil camp, after which he will sign a five-year deal lasting until June 2029. The other two players are expected to travel to England sometime next week to complete medicals at their new club.
The main obstacle in the deal came from Weston McKennie who originally intended to join Aston Villa as part of the transfer. However, the player could not agree on exit conditions with his club and was ultimately removed from the deal. Regardless, both clubs endeavoured to find a solution and included 23-year-old midfielder, Barrenechea, instead.
Juventus Secure a Priority Transfer
New Juve head coach, Thiago Motta, had reportedly made Douglas Luiz a “priority target”. The transfer did not look easy, particularly given the setbacks from the negotiations with McKennie. However with a deal verbally agreed now, the Serie A outlet will finally be able to add a key target to their squad, in their hopes of winning back the Scudetto for the first time since 2020.
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Arsenal have held significant interest in the 26-year-old in the past. They had three bids rejected on the deadline day of the 2022 summer window and have previously considered him the “perfect player”. The Gunners could be in the market for a midfielder this Summer; Juventus may have made an intelligent decision to anticipate potential interest from North London and seal the transfer early on in the window.
Aston Villa Add Useful Squad Depth
Initially, it seemed like an unusual transfer decision for Aston Villa to negotiate a sale for one of their most valuable midfielders, especially given the fact that they will be playing UEFA Champions League football next season. However, in this transfer, Unai Emery will be adding two players who could play useful squad roles, as well as an additional cash sum that could be reinvested in the squad.
With European commitments alongside usual domestic football, there will be a lot of games to be played next season and it is important to have the numbers in the team to maintain standards across several competitions. With that in mind, there is some sense in this transfer business. It remains to be seen whether the improvement in squad depth will be worth the sacrifice in quality.
