The Athletic reporter Gregg Evans has been discussing the possibility of Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz returning to Manchester City.
Last summer, the Villans acquired the services of the Brazilian from Pep Guardiola’s outfit after they forked out £15m to sign him (per BBC).
However, the Manchester club has a buy-back clause for the 22-year-old central midfielder and supposedly they are considering re-signing the player (per 90min).
So, in a recent Aston Villa special of the Tifo Football Podcast, Evans made an appearance and discussed the likelihood of City activating the buy-back clause for Luiz.
He said: “[The buy-back clause] was inserted into the deal that allowed Villa to buy him from Man City. I think it’s two years [that it is] active [for] and [I] don’t know any additional details on that.
“What I would say right now is, he probably needs a little bit of a longer period to prove that he can be at that elite level and play for Manchester City.
“Also, at the same time, I’d be thinking, if I was Man City now and I know that I’ve got that clause in there and looking [at] his last 10 performances, which by the way, were insane.
“For a player to maintain those levels for 10 games in a row when the games came around literally every three or four days or whatever it was, I think is incredible. [It] just shows how fit he is.
“So yeah, it’s a little bit of a worry for Villa. It’s a hot topic [and] a big talking point amongst supporters at the moment because they feel that for the first 28 games of the season, he did nothing. Now, he’s had 10 brilliant games and he might leave. It’s a worry.”
TIF Thoughts…
As can be seen in what Evans had to say, he clearly feels that there is a chance that Guardiola’s outfit may activate their buy-back clause to re-sign Luiz.
Would you be disappointed if Manchester City activated their buy-back clause for Douglas Luiz?
No, he's not that good
Yes, he needs to stay
While the Brazilian midfielder has shown flashes of brilliance across the season, he has still only delivered a 6.63/10 average rating and was only Villa’s joint-eighth-best performer in the league (per WhoScored).
So, Evans may be right that the 22-year-old middleman needs a little bit longer with the Villans to prove himself as a consistent performer.