Exclusive: Juventus sources provide update on the potential chances of Douglas Luiz re-joining Aston Villa
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A return to Aston Villa is not on the agenda for Douglas Luiz despite Monchi seemingly opening the door to another spell in the Premier League for Juventus’ £42 million summer signing.
- Exclusive from Graeme Bailey
Ahead of Aston Villa’s Champions League meeting with the Serie A giants on Wednesday night, the club’s president of football operations raised eyebrows with his comments about a player who departed Villa Park at the end of June.
Douglas Luiz, Monchi said, would always be welcome back in the Midlands.
And, after a poor start to life at Juventus, Monchi’s admission was always likely to spark speculation. Yet, TBR can confirm – after speaking to a source at the Bianconeri – that Douglas Luiz’s representatives have not held any talks regarding a potential return to English football.
That is unlikely to change any time soon, either.
Head coach Thiago Motta remains committed to getting the best out of his 50 million euro acquisition, even if poor form and intermittent fitness have restricted him to two Serie A starts out of a possible 13 with Douglas Luiz labelled a Juventus ‘disaster’ by some harsher sections of the Italian media.
Aston Villa return unlikely for Juventus’ Douglas Luiz
A £15 million signing from Manchester City, Douglas Luiz spent five years in the heart of Aston Villa’s midfield.
He blossomed into one of the most complete footballers in the Premier League following the appointment of Unai Emery too. Arsenal made numerous bids for the ex-Manchester City man during his time in Birmingham.
A muscle injury means that Luiz will be denied a reunion with Emery and co at Villa Park on Wednesday night, however. Juventus have just 14 senior players unavailable for the trip to England. Strikers Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik are also out, alongside Argentina winger Nico Gonzalez.
Defensive duo Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal, meanwhile, could both miss the remainder of 2024/25 after ACL blows.
Juventus manager Thiago Motta highlighted Aston Villa’s counter-attacking prowess during his pre-match press conference, meanwhile. Douglas Luiz’s energy and ball-winning prowess could have come in very handy then, though fellow midfielder Teun Koopmeiners is at least expected to start despite coming down with the flu.
Monchi hails Douglas Luiz ahead of Champions League clash
"Douglas Luiz is playing less than we all expected, but we're talking about a strong player," Monchi, who had a spell as a director at Roma from 2017 to 2019, tells La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"There are players who arrive and impose themselves, and others who need time. Patience is needed, but Douglas' qualities are unquestionable.
"Would I take him back? After his departure, we made investments and our midfield is well-stocked with [Youri] Tielemans, [Amadou] Onana, [Boubacar] Kamara [and Ross] Barkley.
“But I would always take Douglas back, at any club. He's top class."
TBR understands that, with Aston Villa’s midfield stocked with talent, Emery’s side are likely to focus on strengthening in other areas. Club Brugge defender Joel Ordonez is a £25 million target, with Villa captain John McGinn singing the praises of a centre-half who impressed in that recent 1-0 defeat in Belgium.
Michael Kayode’s Fiorentina struggles open doors for Aston Villa to renew their interest in the jet-heeled right-back, meanwhile.
