Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz is now keen to return to the Premier League amid interest from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, TBR Football understands.
Douglas Luiz left Aston Villa last summer mainly due to the club’s PSR concerns — Unai Emery would have ideally preferred to have kept the Brazilian.
But after a season at Juventus, Luiz is ready to return to England and his representatives and intermediaries have been given permission by the Italian club to look for a move.
Luiz struggled under Thiago Motta in the earlier part of last season and things did not improve under new boss Igor Tudor — the Brazilian made just three starts in Serie A.
And ahead of next summer’s World Cup, sources close to Luiz confirm that the midfielder is concerned about how this situation might affect his chances for Brazil.
Manchester United and Tottenham interested in Douglas Luiz
That considered, both Manchester United and Tottenham have been spoken to about signing Luiz this summer.
Graeme Bailey, chief correspondent at TBR Football, understands that Luiz is now anxious to leave Juventus and a move back to England is his preferred option.
Douglas Luiz during Atalanta v Juventus - Serie A
Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images
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Luiz still feels like he has a lot to offer in the Premier League, even if Villa themselves are unlikely to be able to make a bid to bring the midfielder back to Villa Park.
Villa have more pressing needs to address, but they can’t be totally discounted from the race.
But Luiz’s name has come up in conversations between Juventus and both United and Spurs recently, who have shown interest.
The two English clubs are in various talks about deals involving the likes of Yves Bissouma and Jadon Sancho, and Luiz’s name has come up.
Juventus would like to sell Luiz on a permanent basis, but they are also open to a possible loan deal.
Douglas Luiz might have plenty of Premier League options
In addition to the two clubs mentioned, several other Premier League teams are also showing interest in the Juventus midfielder, who cost the Italian side £42m last summer.
TBR Football can reveal that Everton, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and West Ham have also had some contact over a deal for Luiz.
The Saudi Pro League and Turkish giants Galatasaray also have an interest in the Brazilian, even if he’s got his eyes set on a return to England.
In his final season at Villa, Luiz scored nine Premier League goals in 35 appearances, explaining why the race for his signature could be so competitive this summer.
And given that both United and Spurs would benefit from the addition of a new number six, perhaps Luiz could be perfectly suited to either project.