Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has reportedly, and unsurprisingly, attracted interest ahead of the January transfer window, but the club will undoubtedly look to fend it off.
The 25-year-old has been a fundamental player for Unai Emery since he arrived just over a year ago. While his numbers continue to improve, having scored six goals and provided four assists in 24 appearances so far this season, his overall influence is pivotal.
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Luiz’s ability to help control and dictate play in both phases of the game in the heart of our midfield has been a stand-out factor in our success under Emery, with his partnership with Boubacar Kamara becoming a real strength of this side to provide balance and structure in both phases of the game.
In turn, it would be a massive blow if we were to lose him, but coupled with the fact that his contract runs until June 2026, The Daily Mail report that there is no specific release clause in his current deal that could be triggered, thus opening up the problematic scenario of having to allow him to hold talks elsewhere.
Further, while the Mail note that interest is expected in Luiz next month, Villa are said to believe that he’s now worth around the £100m mark, and given the fees paid for some other central midfielders in the Premier League over the past year, there is absolutely an argument to be made that Luiz tops them all.
The Brazilian international, who recently broke back into the national team squad, reiterated just a week ago that he’s happy at the club and is thankful that Villa gave him an opportunity and loves the club for it, while also going on to offer high praise for Emery given his impact on him since he was appointed.
Luiz has never suggested that he’s looking elsewhere, and with Villa competing at the top of the Premier League table, making progress in Europe and continuing to look a real threat to start challenging for major honours moving forward, there really is a lot going in our favour to keep our best players at the club now.
While it would be ideal to see Luiz sign another contract extension to really dismiss talk of an exit, the fact that there is no release clause is huge as we can avoid a Jack Grealish-esque scenario, and do our utmost to keep the classy midfield ace around for the foreseeable future.