Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz would reportedly prefer a move to Barcelona over Juventus if he is to leave Villa Park this summer – amid claim his agent has seemingly offered the player and his partner Alisha Lehmann in a shock double deal.
The Villans are being forced to consider the sale of their brilliant Brazilian midfielder this summer as they – along with a cluster of other Premier League sides – race to generate funds by June 30 to appease Premier League rules. As a result, the man who was one of the driving forces behind their top-four finish this season could find himself on the move in deal that will badly sting Aston Villa.
Luiz scored nine goals and added five assists as Unai Emery’s side qualified for the Champions League for the first time since the 1982/83 season – a quite brilliant achievement.
But just a matter of weeks after celebrating that success, Luiz could be on the move with reluctantly willing to sacrifice the player they previously valued at around the £100m mark in a cut-price deal.
To that end, preliminary talks have been held over a move to Juventus, who are looking to beef up their central midfield options. While funds at the Serie A giants are also quite tight, they are reportedly looking to finance the deal by offering Villa a swap deal involving Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior, as well as a cash lump sum of €20m (£17m.)
Surprisingly, Villa are said to be in favour of such a move with Emery seeing McKennie as a potential replacement in the midfield, while also landing a long-term target at the same time in the form of Iling-Junior.
Aston Villa transfers: Douglas Luiz agent offers star to Barcelona
At the same time, Villa are also hoping for a cash boost by sanctioning the sale of Colombia striker Jhon Duran, who looks likely to be on the move to Chelsea. A package in the region of £50m has been agreed with Duran having already agreed personal terms on the move to Stamford Bridge.
As for Luiz, his agent has already agreed personal terms with Juventus, though it seems the player has other ideas and is not entirely sold on the idea of moving to Italy.
Instead, reports in Spain claim his agent has also been in contact with Barcelona to offer his client to the Spanish giants, who themselves are keen on adding a new central midfielder to their ranks this summer.
Furthermore, it’s suggested that any deal to take Luiz to the Nou Camp could also involve his partner, the Aston Villa ladies star Lehmann.
The Swiss forward is one of the most recognisable faces in the WSL after starring for Villa Ladies over the past three seasons.
She has scored 14 times in 75 games for the club following a 2021 transfer from Everton.
However, she is arguably better known for her social media posts off the field, which have captured plenty of attention owing to her on/off and now very much on again relationship with Luiz.
Together, the two are a formidable marketing force, though also two exceptional footballers in their own right.
As a result, any move for Luiz would impact on Lehmann too, so the chance to bring her to the uber-talented Barcelona Femeni could be an ideal solution for both players.
Luiz and Lehmann’s contracts at Villa both run to 2026 and it remains to be seen if Barcelona will take advantage of the Brazilian’s agents offer to sign both players this summer.
