Douglas Luiz has been linked with a shock return to Aston Villa this month.placeholder image
Douglas Luiz has been linked with a shock return to Aston Villa this month. | Getty Images
Aston Villa are reportedly interested in re-signing a former midfielder that Unai Emery knows well
Aston Villa are seriously considering a January move to re-sign fan favourite Douglas Luiz, according to reports.
Unai Emery’s side are in the market for a midfielder and have set their sights on bringing Luiz back to Villa Park 8 months after he left the club for Juventus.
Youri Tielemans has been excellent since coming back from a calf problem in December, but has only compounded Villa’s concerns in the middle of the park after appearing to sustain an ankle injury in the away victory over Newcastle United at St James’ Park.
Luiz to Aston Villa latest
Luiz left Aston Villa to move to Juventus in the summer of 2024 for a figure believed to be somewhere in the region of £43m.
The Brazil international played 200 matches for Villa, scoring 22 times and contributing 20 assists. He was voted both Supporters and Player’s Player of the Season in 2022/23 and was consistently one of the team’s top performers under Emery as well as Steven Gerrard and Dean Smith before that.
He got into double figures for goals and assists across all competitions in the 2023/24 campaign to help Villa qualify for the Champions League before departing to Turin in a deal which was largely motivated by the club’s PSR concerns at the time.
The 27-year-old was a huge hit at Villa Park, but has never got close to achieving the same heights since his departure to the Old Lady. He played 27 matches for Juventus across all competitions last term but struggled with a series of different injury issues and never established himself as a first team starter, with 21 of those appearances coming from the bench.
Luiz joined Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan over the summer but has struggled to settle at the City Ground since joining and has failed to establish himself as a regular fixture in the team under all of the three managers he has worked under this season.
Luiz could return to Villa for a fraction of the fee they sold him for
Sky Sports News understands Luiz is available to switch loan clubs from Nottingham Forest having only managed five Premier League starts this season - amounting to just 318 minutes in total.
His existing loan at the City Ground does include an obligation to buy, but is conditional on the number of appearances he makes.
Luiz is contracted to Juventus until 2029 but is not thought to be a part of Luciano Spalletti’s plans moving forward, meaning the 27-year-old could depart for a fraction of the £43m the club paid for him 18 months ago.
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