Aston Villa reportedly face a battle to keep Douglas Luiz as Atletico Madrid are said to be preparing a £20m bid for the Brazilian midfielder.
Luiz, 24, has less than a year remaining on his current contract and so doubts and concerns have been raised over his future heading into this season.
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While the hope was that he would eventually put pen to paper on a new contract and commit his long-term future to Villa, according to The Telegraph, it appears as though the opposite could now happen as Atletico Madrid prepare a £20m offer to prise him away from us.
It’s added that there is also interest from a Premier League club, and while Villa are said to be demanding more to consider an exit, the report suggests that while Luiz was expected to sign a new three-year deal previously, he may now leave the club instead.
Conversely, Matteo Moretto has reported that while Atleti are interested in Luiz, they are keen on the idea of signing him on a free transfer next summer when his contract expires, not now for a fee.
Should an exit materialise, that would be a big blow for Villa given Luiz is a key figure in the current squad with his technical quality and passing range ensuring that he’s an important option in midfield.
Having spent so much time playing in a less natural role as a No.6, the signing of Boubacar Kamara this summer was expected to be the addition that would allow Luiz to play in a more advanced role.
However, he has continued to struggle to get into the side on a consistent basis with competition for places, and so combined with his current contract situation, there is concern that he could be set to move on.
Time will tell if that happens before the transfer deadline this week as ultimately there isn’t much time remaining for Atletico and Villa to agree on a fee unless they raise their offer, but if Luiz wishes to move on and the figure is deemed acceptable, we could be short of another option in midfield and be left scrambling to fill the void unless Gerrard is content with the depth and competition already available to him.