Arsenal could be tempted to hijack Juventus’ transfer swap deal for Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz. The Gunners have been long-term admirers of the midfielder having seen three bids rejected in the summer of 2022 with Luiz then going on to sign a new long-term contract at Villa Park.
Over the last two seasons, Luiz has improved his game significantly with his best displays coming under Unai Emery. However, the former Arsenal boss could be forced to lose one of his marquee players with the threat of Profit and Sustainability Rules a worry for Villa this summer.
As such, despite qualifying for the Champions League, the Midlands club may need to sell with Italian giants Juventus looking to take advantage. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus have sent a proposal to Villa which would see them pay €20million (£16.9m) with Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling Junior heading to Villa Park.
With talks now advancing over a deal, it is clear that Villa are open to accepting swap deals for Luiz and therefore it certainly feels worthwhile for Arsenal to try and hijack the transfer by offering up some of their own squad players. Last season, it became very clear that Mikel Arteta only really trusts 15 or so members of his squad with a number of depth options forced to play a limited role.
The likes of Fabio Vieira, Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe, Eddie Nketiah, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Aaron Ramsdale featured minimally in the last campaign with some of those linked to exits this summer as a result. Villa have a plethora of options in attacking positions and therefore it would be best to not include Nelson or Nketiah in a swap deal.
Considering it would be Luiz that is departing, offering midfielders should be the aim with Vieira and Smith Rowe two options. Interest from Villa in the latter has already been present and as such it is unlikely they will turn down taking on his services.
