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Aston Villa are allegedly keen to extend midfielder Douglas Luiz’s contract.
After failing to gain Premier League football with Manchester City, Luiz moved to the West Midlands in a £15 million deal in 2019.
The transfer was regarded as risky at the time, but the Brazilian international has evolved into one of the club’s top midfielders of the contemporary period.
Luiz has 18 goals and 15 assists from 167 games in all competitions, and he was instrumental in the club’s promotion to the top seven of the Premier League last season.
The 25-year-old has also contributed five goals and an assist in the 2023-24 top flight, with Villa now lying in fifth place and just four points behind first place.
With Villa also attempting to win the Europa League this season, there is minimal chance of Luiz being transferred in January.
Nonetheless, Villa are coming under growing pressure to secure Luiz’s long-term future, with his contract set to end in 2026.
Although he has over two and a half years left on his deal, additional clubs will be interested in the former Vasco Da Gama teenager if a contract renewal is not forthcoming.
According to Football Insider, club officials intend to begin negotiations on new terms at the beginning of the year.
That will reassure Unai Emery, who sees Luiz as a certain starter in his midfield when fit, as he is one of only eight players to have started every Premier League game this season.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are long-term admirers of Luiz and have previously failed to lure him to the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta is thought to be weighing his midfield choices right now, with concerns about the long-term fates of Thomas Partey and Jorginho.
While the scenario has shifted, with Villa now seen as a direct challenger to Arsenal, it would not preclude the two clubs from doing business in the future if Villa were unable to persuade Luiz to stay.
