Douglas Luiz to Man Utd? Juventus consider SHOCK swap

Tom Weber

Updated: 22 Nov 2024 20:04 GMT
3 min read

Douglas Luiz, Juventus, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

According to Italian media, Juventus could try to engineer a shock swap with Manchester United that would see Douglas Luiz return to the Premier League while Joshua Zirkzee would head back to Serie A.

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Luiz arrived at Juventus in the summer as part of one of the most bizarre deals of the window. With Aston Villa desperate to raise funds, they agreed to flip their star midfielder - valued at €100 million in January - for just €51.5 million and two players (Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea).

The latter two departed Villa on loan that same window, illustrating that this deal was completed purely to help the Premier League side alleviate any concerns over Profit and Sustainability Rules-

And the transfer hasn't gone much better for Luiz, either. Despite having been one of the best midfielders in the Premier League last season, the Brazilian has been nothing short of a major disappointment.

In fact, such have been his struggles in Turin that Juventus are already considering offloading him in January.

Luiz swap with Zirkzee?

At least that is according to Gazzetta dello Sport, which has on Friday published an article explaining the situation of the 26-year-old. The outlet states that Luiz failed to impress new head coach Thiago Motta in pre-season training and has struggled to find his feet since.

A recent injury setback has not helped his case and Juventus are considering all their options for January. As the Bianconeri will have to dip into the market for a centre-back and potentially a striker, they are exploring ways of raising funds.

A potential sale or, if necessary, loan of Luiz is an option that is already being seriously considered. Intriguingly, the outlet ponders a scenario in which Juventus could look to use the midfielder to fix their striker problem.

The Old Lady are interested in Man Utd forward Joshua Zirkzee but know that a January move could prove difficult, so the outlet suggests that they could seek a swap deal with Luiz.

Man Utd want to sign at least two new midfielders in 2025 and have 'serious doubts' about Zirkzee after his disappointing start to life at Old Trafford. A swap, it is claimed, could be a mutually beneficial deal.