Aston Villa: Douglas Luiz transfer is ‘blocked’ as ‘clear obstacle’ halts shock Juventus swap deal
According to reports, a ‘clear obstacle’ is preventing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz from completing his move to Serie A giants Juventus.
Luiz was one of Aston Villa’s standout performers in 2023/24 as they surpassed expectations to finish fourth in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League. The 26-year-old grabbed nine goals and five assists in his 35 appearances.
His form has attracted interest from rival clubs and it’s been suggested that he is one of Arsenal’s preferred targets. Mikel Arteta’s are in the market for a new defensive midfielder to replace Thomas Partey and this signing would free up Declan Rice to play further forward as a No.8.
But Juventus have jumped ahead of Arsenal in the race to sign Luiz. It was revealed last week that Aston Villa have ‘given the green light’ for the Serie A giants to sign the Brazil international.
Had Aston Villa got it their way, they would keep Luiz ahead of their return season in the Champions League. But it’s been reported that they are one of six Premier League clubs who ‘must sell’ one or two players in the next couple of weeks to balance the books amid their issues with Profit and Sustainability rules.
Luiz is a prime candidate to leave as he is one of Villa’s sellable assets. Juventus are attempting to get a deal done as a €20m player-plus-cash swap deal with Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior heading in the other direction.
Going off of last week’s reports, it felt like it would only be a matter of time before this transfer was completed, but Villa and Juventus have encountered an issue during negotiations.
According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the ‘exchange’ between Aston Villa and Juventus is ‘blocked’ as there is currently ‘no agreement’ with former Leeds United flop McKennie.
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The report explains.
‘The exchange between Juventus and Aston Villa which would bring Douglas Luiz to Juventus and Iling Jr. and McKennie to Birmingham is currently blocked.
‘The reason? An agreement has not yet been reached between the American and Villa. A stalemate phase which is currently blocking the entire negotiation.
‘The definitive agreement between McKennie and Aston Villa has not yet been reached, neither on wages nor on commissions. A clear obstacle, which blocks the mega exchange with Juventus, which would see Douglas Luiz arrive in Turin.
‘The parties are currently working to find a solution to unblock this phase, resolve it and proceed towards closing the negotiation, which the clubs aim to do before June 30th.’
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