Arsenal to MISS OUT on key summer target - Fabrizio Romano

Cameron Smith

Updated: 11 Jun 2024 16:40 BST
3 min read

Arsenal are on the verge of missing out on Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, with the Brazil international close to joining Serie A giants Juventus in a player-plus-cash swap deal.

Article continues under the video

The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium over the past few months after a stellar 2023-24 campaign, but Luiz is now set to join Juventus instead.

Arsenal had previously named the Villa star as one of their priority midfield targets, alongside Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, but the Gunners are close to missing out on both players, with Luiz heading to Turin and Zubimendi likely to remain at his current club.

Everton’s Amadou Onana has also been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, and has stated his desire to join a “top” team, but Mikel Arteta has undoubtedly been dealt a blow in his pursuit of a Thomas Partey replacement.

The ex-Atletico Madrid star has been heavily touted to leave Arsenal this summer, with Fenerbahce interested, and signing a new central midfielder is one of the Gunners’ priorities.

However, they look set to miss out on a number of their top targets, meaning Declan Rice may be forced to play in a deeper role yet again next campaign.

EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal enter race for Murillo as Nottingham Forest name price

Douglas Luiz to Juventus

Luiz’s move to Juventus has been confirmed by multiple outlets, and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior will be joining Aston Villa as part of the deal. Juventus will also pay an additional €20 million.

Despite finishing fourth in the 2023-24 Premier League season, and qualifying for the Champions League as a result, Villa need to sell players in order to meet Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and Luiz is set to depart as a result.

Romano has revealed that Aston Villa and Juventus are “more than close to a final agreement”, with the deal expected to be finalised soon.