Aston Villa have reportedly held contract talks with Douglas Luiz and are said to be hopeful that a new agreement can be reached with the Brazilian.
Luiz, 24, will see his current Villa deal expire next summer, and so doubts have emerged over his long-term future at the club with speculation over an exit this summer.
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According to The Telegraph though, Villa have held ‘constructive’ talks with the Brazilian international and while there is interest from teams across Europe in the midfielder, the club are said to be hopeful that he will put pen to paper on a new contract.
Time will tell if that’s the case, as ultimately Villa need to make a decision this summer on his future. If Luiz signs a new deal and commits his future, that would be seen as a real boost given the important role that he has played in the side in recent years.
Conversely, if an agreement can’t be reached, Villa may well need to consider an exit in order to avoid a scenario in which Luiz either leaves in a cut-price deal in January or perhaps even on a free transfer when his contract expires next summer.
Both sides will undoubtedly want clarity sooner rather than later, but there is undoubtedly a big role for Luiz to play this season and it would be a real shame to see him leave if a new deal can’t be agreed.
Following the signing of Boubacar Kamara, Luiz will now likely be moved into a more advanced midfield role having previously played as our No.6, a role in which he didn’t look entirely comfortable or effective, particularly from a defensive point of view.
Many believe that we’ll now see the best of him given he will have more freedom in our midfield moving forward, but ultimately it’s surely far from ideal for all concerned to have this contract situation hanging over him and so it’s hoped a decision either way is reached relatively soon.