5 months ago
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Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz is closing in on a move to Juventus, according to reports in Italy.
Arsenal are in the market for a new central midfielder and reports had claimed that Mikel Arteta’s side were considering a fresh move for the 26-year-old this summer.
But Juventus are leading the race to sign Luiz and are now on the brink of reaching an agreement with Villa.
According to Sky Sports Italy, Villa have demanded that Juventus include two players – United States midfielder Weston McKennie and 20-year-old winger Samuel Iling-Junior – plus a €20 million (£16.8m) transfer fee for Luiz.
It’s understood that Luiz has given the green light to join Juve, while McKennie has an agreement to move to Villa.
Meanwhile, talks continue to progress over the inclusion of Iling-Junior, who spent nine years at Chelsea’s academy before moving to Juventus in 2020.
The 20-year-old, who was born in Islington and has represented England at Under-21 level, has made 45 appearances for Juventus over the last two seasons.
Arsenal, meanwhile, will now look elsewhere for a new midfielder having opted not to follow up on their previous interest in Luiz.
The Gunners had three bids for the Brazilian, the highest of which being £25m, rejected by Villa towards the end of the summer transfer window in 2022.
Arsenal are also open to selling Thomas Partey, who is keen to see out the final year of his contract.
The Premier League runners-up have a strong interest in Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes, and the Brazilian has a £100m release clause in his contract with Newcastle which expires at the end of June.
Arteta is also an admirer of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who is in Spain’s squad for Euro 2024.
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