Arsenal are set to revisit their interest in Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer, according to Football Insider.
The lowdown
The Daily Mail's Simon Jones revealed that Villa turned down three bids for Luiz during the January transfer window, and it appears that one of those was from the Gunners, with Football Insider noting that they 'failed to land him' in the winter.
Villa paid £15m to sign Luiz from Manchester City ahead of their first season back in the Premier League in 2019/20. His £32.9k-per-week contract is due to expire at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.
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The latest
A source at the Emirates Stadium has told Football Insider that Luiz remains on Arsenal's radar ahead of the summer transfer window.
The expectation is that the north London giants will table a formal bid as Mikel Arteta eyes central midfield reinforcements, in addition to a new striker.
Significantly, Villa are reportedly open to letting the midfielder leave in order to 'free up space' for a new midfield arrival. Therefore, if Arsenal submit a reasonable offer, then they could snap up the Brazilian with relative ease.
The verdict
Villa's willingness to sell is a little surprising given that Luiz appears to be one of Gerrard's most trusted players.
When he is available, he almost always starts - only twice this season has he been left out of the line-up by choice.
The £31.5m-rated midfielder has been called 'underrated' by Ian Wright, who believes that the Brazilian is 'ready to be one of the best midfielders in the Premier League'.
The Athletic's Gregg Evans has perhaps been even more complimentary, dubbing Luiz 'a joy to watch', 'an absolute star' and 'the best player in the team' at one point.
On that basis, you'd think that Gerrard and sporting director Johan Lange would put up more of a fight to try and keep the 23-year-old at Villa Park.
In other news, a new English target has emerged for Gerrard and Villa