Aston Villa slaps fee on Douglas Luiz to deter other EPL clubs

To keep rival Premier League teams away from bidding on Douglas Luiz, Aston Villa established an outrageous asking price. Everyone knows the Brazilian midfielder is in high demand.

His performances for Villa have garnered attention from prominent clubs, with Arsenal having been in the lead for a while. In his squad’s 2-0 win against Mikel Arteta on Saturday, Luiz continued his stellar season. He has been one of the league’s top players.

Last summer, it was the Gunners’ three proposals to sign the 25-year-old that got turned down. Those offers reached a high of over $31 million. Villa now values its star player much more.

Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Declan Rice cost over $125 million since Arsenal’s unsuccessful efforts to recruit Luiz. As far as midfielders go, they are among the costliest of all time.

The sums of money that each of them moved for this calendar year were outrageous. Meanwhile, in October 2022, Luiz signed a fresh, long-term contract with Villa. Regardless, the midfielder is tipped to join the list of the most expensive midfielders of all time soon.

Arsenal to try to sign the player for fourth time

There have been setbacks and unsuccessful efforts in the past. Still, Arsenal wants to make a serious play for the Brazilian in the coming weeks. To persuade Villa to let Luiz go amid such a promising season, Arsenal would need to make a far better deal.

However, the report adds that their desire is still substantial. After spending over $250 million in the summer, Arsenal’s available finances are rather low. They might use Thomas Partey’s departure as an opportunity to collect funds for fresh signings. Due to persistent injury concerns, the midfielder has started in only three league games so far this season.

The 30-year-old is now expected to miss the whole of 2023 owing to a hamstring injury, although he will be available to join Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations. The tournament takes place from January 13 to February 11.

The Italian media has reported that Juventus are keeping tabs on Partey and that the Gunners contemplated letting the midfielder go during the summer transfer window. There were rumors that teams in Saudi Arabia were also interested. Nevertheless, a fair offer never did come through.

Whether Arsenal formally expresses their desire to retain Partey is still to be determined. Arsenal would have more financial leverage to test Villa’s will to retain Luiz if he were to leave.

Aston Villa slap exorbitant price tag on Douglas Luiz

This means that Aston Villa will be ready to defend their star, Douglas Luiz, against any offers that may come in next month or during the middle of the season. The Villa Park outfit is asking an exorbitant $138 million for the player. That surpasses the $131 million Arsenal spent on Declan Rice last summer.

Unai Emery’s desire to retain his key players in January is understandable. The club is pursuing a UEFA Champions League spot, if not a title. Whether the Brazilian will try to depart this winter is also unclear, even though playing for the North London side is a significant step up for his career.

PHOTOS: IMAGO.