Arsenal are still monitoring Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz after failing to sign him in September 2022, according to Fabrizio Romano in his exclusive Daily Briefing column.
The Gunners notably tried and failed to sign Luiz from Villa, and are now well-stocked in midfield anyway with the summer signing of Declan Rice, but it seems their admiration for Luiz has not gone away.
The Brazilian has certainly impressed a great deal in his time at Villa Park, and Romano says he has a number of clubs interested in him and keeping an eye on his progress.
Of course, it remains to be seen if Arsenal will go back in for Luiz any time soon, but Romano insists that, as with Wolves winger Pedro Neto, the north London giants tend to keep on monitoring players after showing a past interest in them.
“As I recently reported, Arsenal have been monitoring Pedro Neto for some time, and I can also say that Arsenal always keep monitoring the same players they like and Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz remains one of them. He’s always been appreciated,” Romano said.
“Of course, we know that Arsenal had bids rejected for Luiz in September 2022, and he later went on to sign a new contract at Villa Park, which runs until 2026. He’s now a key player for Villa so the deal would not be an easy one, but many clubs appreciate him.”
Thomas Partey isn’t getting any younger and has had some fitness issues during his time at the Emirates Stadium, so one imagines Luiz is worth keeping an eye on as a potential successor one day.