Football journalist Fabrizio Romano has been discussing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz and the possibility of him leaving the club in the near future.
This comes after Romano recently made an appearance on the Edge of the Box Podcast where he spoke about a number of transfer-related topics concerning a variety of clubs across Europe.
On the subject of Douglas Luiz and the fact that he has been previously linked with a move back to his previous club Manchester City due to the reported buy-back clause they have on the Brazilian, Romano was asked how likely it would be to see City activate this clause and sign Luiz this summer.
In response, Romano had this to say on the matter.
He said: “He’s appreciated by Manchester City and by Pep [Guardiola], but also by other clubs.
“It will be another interesting one, also because remember that with release clauses – yes, you can activate the release clauses, but you have to [get] the green light from the player and we will see, with many clubs involved, what he will decide, but for sure, he’s appreciated – but also other top clubs are looking at him, so it will be interesting next summer, I think.”
Villa signed Luiz back in the 2019 summer transfer window from the Manchester club for a fee of £15.12 million. Since them, the 22-year-old, who is currently valued at £24.3 million, has made 60 appearances for the club, prior to their Premier League clash against Southampton, in which he has managed to score three goals and provide five assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).
TIF Thoughts on Fabrizio Romano comments on Luiz…
Given how it was revealed that Guardiola was ‘sad and disappointed’ that Luiz wasn’t able to play for City before they sold him to Villa due to work permit reasons, this suggests that the City manager could be open to the idea of bringing the midfield man back to the Etihad this summer.
Would you be disappointed if Luiz left Villa in the summer?
Yes
No
However, with Luiz having made 17 appearances for Villa in the Premier League so far this season, this suggests that he is an important figure in Dean Smith’s squad who would presumably want to keep hold of the player for as long as possible.
In our view, the fact Romano mentioned that despite City’s buy-back clause on Luiz, the most important factor would be whatever Luiz himself wants to do in terms of his future and where he plays, will make it interesting to see how this situation develops and what he decides to do with regards to his next move.