Aston Villa boss: I would save Luiz from Juventus hell

Aston Villa director Monchi has admitted that he would love to re-sign Douglas Luiz.

The Brazilian midfielder joined Juventus in a bizarre deal that saw the Bianconeri send €50 million and two players to Birmingham. Aston Villa were desperate to raise funds to comply with Profit and Sustainability rules and sold their star midfielder for half of what they had demanded just six months earlier.

It is a move that has not worked out well for any party with the exception of, perhaps, Villa’s bank account. The two players, Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea were immediately shipped out on loan, while Luiz has struggled to find his feet at Juventus.

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The 26-year-old failed to impress Thiago Motta in pre-season and has struggled to get into the side ever since, with a recent injury only compiling the misery.

Recently, it has even been rumoured that the Bianconeri could look to offload him in January, with some going so far as to suggest a potential swap deal with Man Utd for Joshua Zirkzee.

Monchi: I’d love to re-sign Luiz

Incidentally, Aston Villa host Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday evening and sporting director Monchi spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport about Luiz in the build-up to the game.

“He’s playing less than we all expected, but we’re talking about a strong player,” the Spaniard said. “There are guys who arrive and impose themselves, others who need time. Patience is needed, but Douglas’ qualities are beyond discussion.

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“He will become important for Juve. He’s a playmaker and every ball that comes out of his feet has a meaning: last year, he played 90 per cent of the games with us. He was decisive.

“After his farewell, we invested and in midfield, we are well placed with [Youri] Tielemans, [Amadou] Onana, [Boubacar] Kamara, [Ross] Barkley… But I would always take Douglas back from any club. He is very strong.”