Aston Villa have been rocked by a report claiming that they could lose one of their stars this summer, with two players from Serie A potentially moving in the other direction.
Villans hoping to build a dynasty
After finishing fourth in the Premier League last season and extending Unai Emery’s contract at the club, Villa very much look like a side on the up. In the Champions League for the first time in its current guise, the Midlands outfit face a big summer transfer window to ensure that their squad is ready to compete on multiple fronts.
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The planning for present and future is underway at Villa Park.
They are set to kick off their summer by signing Ross Barkley, but they are now potentially facing losing one of their stars in his position.
Luiz wants out as Monchi eyes swap deal – reports
Now, news has broken that Douglas Luiz is allegedly aiming to leave Aston Villa this summer. That is according to a report coming out of Italy [Via Sport Witness] anyway, which claims that the midfielder “has decided to leave Villa Park in the next window” and has been offered to Serie A giants Juventus.
For their part, Juve are already set to lose Adrien Rabiot this summer as his contract expires, and have been chasing a midfielder all season, with Atalanta’s Teun Koopmieners among those that they have looked at. Somewhat optimistically, the report claims that Luiz is valued at 40m euros by Villa (£34m), which would seem an unlikely price point for the Brazilian.
Coming off the back of his best ever season and having previously been linked with moves to Arsenal and Manchester City, Luiz is under contract at Villa Park until 2026, leaving Villa with the upper hand in any negotiations.
An alternative could be a player swap, with Villa Sporting Director Monchi reportedly keen on two Juve stars this summer. The first comes in the shape of USA midfielder Weston McKennie, who would seemingly be a like-for-like swap with Douglas Luiz given that they play in the same position.
He is down to the last 12 months of his contract in Turin, and Juve are “hoping” to receive around 15m euros (£12m) from his sale this summer should a buyer come forward.
Another player that Villa have their eye on is young maestro Matias Soule, who is returning from a successful loan spell Frosinone. Despite his side being relegated from the top flight, the midfielder put up an impressive 11 goals and three assists in his first full senior season of football.
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Matias Soule’s impressive loan spell |
|
|
Appearances |
36 |
|
Goals |
11 |
|
Assists |
3 |
|
Expected assists |
5.3 |
|
Shots on target per 90 |
0.52 |
|
Key passes per 90 |
2.36 |
Juve are also open to selling the Argentine, but are holding out for around 30m euros to part ways with the Aston Villa target this summer, with the 21-year-old contracted to the Old Lady until 2026.
While the valuation of Luiz does appear to be paper talk, Villa’s interest in Soule is widely known, while McKennie could prove a savvy budget addition alongside Ross Barkley were they to act on their interest.
Far more concerning for Villa fans is the idea that Luiz has decided to move on, and a swap deal would likely do more harm than good for all parties.
