Home of football statistics and historyTransfer season might be almost over, but don’t let your guard down yet. The FIFA World Cup will happen in November 2022. Are you excited? If so, you can bet on football at Lottoland before the big event. However, the manager of Aston Villa, Steve Gerrard, is looking at making money with the transfer of Olympic gold medalist Douglas Luiz instead. His contract expires in 2023, but talks are on even though transfer season is off! Here’s everything you need to know about Douglas Luiz and the potential deals on the table.
Who is Douglas Luiz?
Douglas Luiz Soares de Paulo was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on May 9, 1998. Notably, Luiz won an Olympic gold medal with the Brazilian football team in the Tokyo Summer Olympics—a feat that made his market price skyrocket. If you look at his chart on Transfermarkt, you can see exactly when his value peaked! As of June 2022, his value is an astounding £34,883,354.00, making him the second most valuable player at Aston Villa.
Luiz left Manchester City in 2019 and currently plays for Aston Villa, but his contract expires in June 2023. Plenty of buyers are eagerly waiting to snap him up. Given his iffy performance, many fans of Aston Villa have encouraged the club to get rid of Luiz quickly.
Where might Luiz go?
There are a total of five clubs thinking about signing Luiz: A.S. Roma, A.C. Milan, Arsenal, Newcastle United, and Juventus. Roma and Milan have been eying him for quite some time. Juventus has offered Moise Kean, another young talent, as a potential trade. The other two clubs have mostly been in the realm of rumour.
Aston Villa wouldn’t object to letting Luiz go, assuming people are willing to pay. And that’s the rub: Roma and Milan, the most eager prospective buyers, cannot afford him. Meanwhile, whispers of Luiz going to Juventus have been circulating since 2021.
Arsenal and Newcastle have been more talk than action when it comes to trading for or purchasing Douglas Luiz. Arsenal has reported interest on no less than three different websites. Newcastle United has been encouraged to buy Luiz in this article on The Mirror, but nothing has come of it.
With no shortage of potential buyers for Luiz, Gerrard will have the final say. The manager of Aston Villa has a reputation for turning struggling clubs into absolute forces. He’s known for bringing the Rangers Football Club “back from the dead.” Fans have been expecting Gerrard to do the same for Aston Villa, but the change has not happened yet.
What Does the Transfer Mean for Aston Villa?
Unfortunately, the transfer wouldn’t mean as much for Aston Villa as it might for another team. Luiz’s performance on Aston Villa has been shaky. But at the same time, Aston Villa knows a rising star when they see one, even if they can’t handle him properly. According to Birmingham Live, Steven Gerrard said that while he has no issues with how Luiz has been playing, “we’ve got an eye on the market.” He’s just waiting for the right offer. We have every reason to believe that he’s serious about turning Aston Villa into a Premier League-worthy club.
Conclusion
The transfer of Douglas Luiz is not a “pearls before swine” situation. Gerrard is smart. He knows that the team’s Olympic athlete isn’t performing as well as he could be. He also knows that such a talented player must be worth his weight in gold. Without a doubt, the manager is waiting for the right offer to come along, be it money or trade. For now, people are happy with the status quo, but nobody knows what will happen next summer.
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