EXCLUSIVE: Aston Villa set hefty price tag for Arsenal target Douglas Luiz
Steve Kay
- 5 Dec 2023 05:44 CST
- 3 min read
Aston Villa have set an astronomical asking price for Douglas Luiz to fend off interest from Arsenal and other clubs, FootballTransfers has been told.
It is no secret that the Brazilian midfielder is a sought-after commodity. His performances for Villa have attracted high-profile interest and Arsenal have been at the front of the queue for some time.
The Gunners repeatedly tried to land the 25-year-old in previous transfer windows and they will do so again in January. As exclusively revealed by FootballTransfers in early November, Aston Villa flat out refused to entertain the Gunners' latest approach for Luiz, but they did tell their north London counterparts that they would be prepared to change their tune for an 'extraordinary' fee.
Now, we have been informed of the kind of money Villa have in mind. According to our sources, the Birmingham side are demanding a whopping £110 million (€128m) for Luiz's services, eclipsing the £105m Arsenal paid for Declan Rice in the summer.
Villa prepared to negotiate
Arsenal, though they rate Luiz obviously very highly, have no intention to pay that kind of money, especially as the Gunners will likely employ a one-in, one-out policy in January.
FootballTransfers reported earlier in the week that the north London club are willing to sacrifice Eddie Nketiah to fund a move for an elite striker, so it is unlikely that they will break their transfer record on another midfielder without some high-profile exits.
The Gunners would be prepared to go as high as £60m for Luiz, we are told, but that is still some way short of the threshold that would break Villa's resolve. We hear that the Villans could accept a fee of around £80m if the player were to push for a move.
At the end of the day, Villa acknowledge that every player has his price, but that has not changed their general stance on a potential deal: they do not want to sell their star midfielder in the midst of a credible challenge for a spot in the Champions League.
