Douglas Luiz is closing in on a return to Aston Villa, with reports saying he has set his heart on a reunion
Nottingham Forest's Douglas Luiz reacts after a missed opportunity during the Emirates FA Cup third round match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham
Nottingham Forest's Douglas Luiz reacts after a missed opportunity during the Emirates FA Cup third round match at SToK Racecourse, Wrexham(Image: PA)
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Aston Villa are closing in on the signing of Douglas Luiz and bringing the popular midfielder back to the club.
Luiz, who in 2024 left Villa after five years, is reported to have set his heart of returning, with claims of a ‘verbal agreement’ between Villa and his parent club Juventus.
Sky Sports News reckon the 27-year-old will join on loan with an option to make the transfer permanent in the summer.
To do that he will end his loan at Villa’s Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest, where he has made minimal impact and only five Premier League starts.
That comes after a disappointing first season in Turin where he struggled to make the breakthrough.
We asked NottinghamshireLive’s Forest reporter Sarah Clapson why his City Ground loan has been so underwhelming.
How was Luiz’s arrival viewed and what were the expectations?
SC: There was plenty of excitement when he signed, albeit mixed with a little bit of trepidation. Everyone associated with Forest knew what Luiz was capable of doing in the Premier League as he had shown it with Villa, but he hadn’t enjoyed the best of times in Italy.
There has never been any question about his quality, it was a case of whether he could rediscover his Villa form with Forest. And once injuries hit, whether he could stay fit.
That said, he was viewed as someone who could make a real difference for Forest this season. His arrival was part of a busy summer window at the City Ground, and once it had closed the general consensus was some very good business had been done.
Luiz was part of that and the feeling was he could help the club push on in the Premier League and go well in Europe. It hasn’t worked out like that - for the midfielder, Forest and several other summer signings.
What word would you use to describe his loan – and why?
SC: Disappointing. Luiz is clearly a classy player - he has shown that in glimpses while at Forest.
Injuries have certainly not helped and he has never looked fully fit while at the club, but he hasn’t performed to his top level anywhere near enough.
A player of his calibre should be dominating games like against Wrexham in the FA Cup and Braga in the Europa League, but he didn’t on either occasion.
If anything, against Braga he looked pretty disinterested. He wasn’t the only one to put in a dismal showing in Portugal, but given his talent Forest would have expected better.
What has Sean Dyche said about him?
SC: Dyche explained Luiz’s absence from Forest’s match squad against Brentford at the weekend as being due to illness. He was very coy when asked if he expected the midfielder to still be part of his squad going forward.
He was asked about interest in Luiz last week and said: “He is a very good player. I said when we played him in Europe we probably rushed him back, but because of his experience he has used that wisely to be back.
“It doesn't surprise me there is interest from other clubs in good players. That's the nature of the business.
“It's a doubled-edged sword. You sort of want people interested in your players because that means they are doing a good job and are good players, but you don't because you don't want them coming knocking on the door. That's part of modern football.”
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