In what has to amount to one of the weirder negotiating positions imaginable, Aston Villa have apparently demanded a princely sum for the transfer of Douglas Luiz, perhaps one of the better DMs in the Prem right now. This would be a move that would check all sorts of boxes. We’d be addressing one of our biggest needs at a discount rate; we’d be weakening a potential top-four rival; we’d be avoiding the trainwreck that is Guimarães… in short, there’s nothing not to like about this demand. Let’s figure out how to make this transfer happen.
Villa are facing some cold, harsh realities regarding FFP and PSR (that’s Financial Fair Play and Profiitability and Sustainability Rules) after having spent more than £100m in each of the last five summer windows. Aside from the £100m sale of Jack Grealish back in 2021, their sales have amounted to little more than a pittance, and the club are staring those cold, hard realities square in the face. Having signed Luiz for just £15m in 2019, Villa would reap a rich reward from selling him on just a few years later. Despite having qualified for Champions League play for the upcoming season, those FFP and PSR pressures are very real.
I want this guy. Like Rice, he can play both the #6 and #8 roles. If we could sign him, we’d have one of the most-dynamic and most-flexible double-pivots in the Prem. Luiz and Rice could interchange, taking turns shielding Gabi and Saliba (not that they need much of that) and making late runs into the box. Luiz managed to chip in nine goals and five assists for Villa; like Rice, one has to suspect that he’s just scratching the surface on that, um, score.
Our interest in the man is clear. His interest in Juve seems less so. The Old Lady is looking, well, old, having finished a distant third, 23 points behind Inter. Yes, they qualified for Champions League play next season, but so did Villa. A move to Juve might feel on the surface like an upgrade, but that’s hardly a clear-cut conclusion.
As for Luiz moving to Juve, he’d have to adjust to a squad in transition. There are a few Brazilians in the squad, but only one of them is a nailed-on starter. By contrast, we have Gabi, Martinelli, and Jesus; there’s also Jorginho, who might be Italian by nationality but is a fluent speaker of Portuguese. It would be hard to find a savvier tutor than him. While Juve’s fortunes seem to be fading, we are building momentum. If Luiz has any say in where he goes, I’d have to think he’d choose Arsenal over Juve. While he’s off on international duty with Brazil during Copa América, he can count on Gabi and Martinelli to pour honey in his ear.
Am I mad to suggest that we offer £50m and Nketiah (and, perhaps, Nelson)? Villa apparently want bodies, and this explains why they’re flirting with Juve. The joke might just be on them, though; negotiating with the Italian clubs is notoriously tricky. While Villa might be averse to selling to a direct rival (which am us), they also have to pay close attention to those pesky FFP and PSR rules. Selling Luiz for a mere £20m and taking on Iling Jr. and McKennie doesn’t make much financial sense, not when we could offer £50m. Offering one or both of Nketiah and Nelson would (should) just be icing on the cake or perhaps the cherry on top.
