Douglas Luiz ‘to leave Aston Villa for FREE in summer and join rival Premier League club’ amid Arsenal transfer interest
DOUGLAS LUIZ will reportedly leave Aston Villa as a free agent next summer.
And the Brazilian midfielder is already target a switch to a Premier League rival.
Luiz, 24, was chased by three of England’s top clubs this summer after entering the final year of his contract.
Chelsea were known to be keen before they eventually plumped for Juventus’ Denis Zakaria on loan.
And Liverpool also kept tabs on Luiz until they pulled off a loan for Juve’s Arthur Melo.
But it was Arsenal who led the charge for Luiz on transfer deadline day, having a £23million bid rejected by Villa.
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But despite being happy to stay at the Midlands this term, UOL claims Luiz has already decided to leave Steven Gerrard’s side when his deal expires in 2023.
The former Manchester City youngster is confident he can play at the highest level.
And Luiz is eager to remain in the Premier League after entering his fourth season at Villa Park.
The playmaker is likely to have offers from abroad too, with AC Milan targeting him after losing Franck Kessie to Barcelona.
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The Italians would be able to open negotiations with Luiz in January.
And with nine Brazil caps already to his name, the midfielder is likely to attract even more interest when he is able to strike a pre-contract agreement.
Luiz has made 117 appearances for Villa since his 2019 switch from City, scoring seven goals and assisting a further eight in the process.