Douglas Luiz of Brazil during the international friendly match between England and Brazil at Wembley Stadium on March 23, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)placeholder image
Douglas Luiz of Brazil during the international friendly match between England and Brazil at Wembley Stadium on March 23, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas - WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images) | Wolves via Getty Images
Everton are among the club who have been linked with the Serie A midfielder.
Everton have made enquiries about signing Douglas Luiz, reports suggest.
The midfielder has endured a difficult period since signing for Juventus last summer. He signed for the Italian giants from Aston Villa for around £44 million but struggled in his maiden campaign. Luiz started just three Serie A matches and made a total of 27 appearances
Luiz also played just one during Juventus' recent Club World Cup campaign, which ended against Real Madrid in the first knockout stage.
As a result, the 27-year-old has fallen out of favour with Brazil. He's won 19 caps for Seleção Canarinho but was not included in their squad for both the March and post-season international breaks. With the World Cup taking place next summer, Luiz may feel he needs a change of scenery to force his way back into Brazil's plans.
Luiz did show his quality during his five-year spell at Villa. He made a total of 204 appearances and scored 22 goals, helping Unai Emery's side qualify for the Champions League in his final campaign before leaving for Juve.
According to Italian journalist Matteo Matteo Moretto on Fabrizio Romano’s YouTube channel, Everton are one of three Premier League clubs to lodge an interest. It’s suggested that the Toffees and Fulham have ‘asked about the conditions’ of Luiz’ exit. Manchester United are also said to be keen on potentially recruiting Luiz.
Will Everton sign Douglas Luiz?
Everton are set for a busy summer and require a number of new signings. From last season’s squad that finished 13th in the Premier League, a total of nine players have departed at the end of their respective deals.
Among those include Abdoulaye Doucoure, who was a regular starter. The midfielder turned down a new contract at Goodison Park. Orel Mangala, who was on loan from Olympique Lyon, has also departed and is unlikely to return given he’s been injured since January after suffering an ACL injury.
While Idrissa Gana Gueye is poised to sign a new deal, the only other senior player in the middle of the park that David Moyes has as an option is James Garner. Therefore, bolstering Everton’s engine room is required.
Luiz would be an attractive proposition. Moyes has previously states that the Toffees need elite players for the move to the state-of-the-art Hill Dickinson Stadium and Luiz would tick that box. While at Villa, he displayed his quality for a number of years and it’s why he earned a move to a European giant.
However, it is unlikely that Everton would be willing to sign Luiz on a permanent deal this summer as Juve would still likely demand a significant fee and would more likely seek a loan. In addition, wages could be a potential issue. He reportedly earns around £86,000 per week at Juventus. Everton would have to weigh up whether a salary of around £4 million would be worth it or whether they could pay a percentage of Luiz’s wages.
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