Douglas Luiz has been a regular for Aston Villa this season, featuring in 29 of their 33 Premier League games, but his future in the Midlands remains uncertain amid interest from a host of Premier League rivals. The 23-year-old is out of contract in 2023 and isn’t close to putting pen to paper on an extension.
Ashley Preece of Birmingham Live said in a Q&A: ‘Contract talks: Douglas and Carney (are) as you were, talks haven’t progressed. (There are) still 12 months left on their deals.’
Luiz has been deployed in a makeshift defensive-midfield role with varying degrees of success this campaign, so he may want to join a side willing to play him in his natural position. The Brazilian international has interest from Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United too, so they could be deemed more attractive than Villa.
The 23-year-old, who cost Villa £15m, joined on a four-year deal from Manchester City in 2019 and has gone on to make 106 appearances in all competitions, scoring four goals with eight assists. Luiz has been inconsistent in front of the backline but has been forced to play there due to Marvelous Nakamba’s long-term injury and Morgan Sanson’s lack of playing time.
Gerrard is expected to bring in a natural deep-lying midfielder for next season, but will that be to play with Luiz or as his replacement?
In other news, Aston Villa ‘likely’ to sign Philippe Coutinho
