"But what I would say is that" - Steven Gerrard provides contract update on Arsenal target

Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard has confirmed that contract talks with Arsenal-linked midfielder Douglas Luiz have failed to progress. However, he added that the player is focused on training.

Luiz, who is currently in the final year of his contract, emerged as a transfer target for the Gunners earlier this summer. The Mikel Arteta-coached outfit identified the Brazilian as an ideal candidate to bolster their midfield but failed to sign him with two bids on deadline day.

According to The Sun, Arsenal are set to table a third offer for Luiz in January as the club are hoping to replace the injury-prone Thomas Partey in the ongoing campaign. The north London outfit are likely to offer just £15 million for the Vasco da Gama academy graduate.

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Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Gerrard shed light on Luiz's current situation at Villa Park. He said (via Football London):

"No news in terms of extending his stay here, so that hasn’t changed. But what I would say is that he's very focused, he's trained well. Am I surprised by the speculation? No, because we've got a young Brazilian player who's a fantastic talent so I expect to be asked this question a lot as the season progresses."

He added:

"We want him to stay here, the owners were very strong in keeping him here, we didn't obviously want to lose him on the final day and he has performed very well since and he has trained very well and he is ready to go at the weekend."

A technically gifted defensive midfielder, Luiz joined Aston Villa from Manchester City for a fee of £12.5 million in the summer of 2019. The Brazilian has netted seven goals and contributed eight assists in 118 appearances across all competitions for his current club.

The Gunners, meanwhile, are spread thin in the midfield department with both Partey and Mohamed Elneny out injured. Granit Xhaka and Albert Sambi Lokonga are currently the only fit midfielders in their squad.

Arsenal are currently atop the 2022-23 Premier League standings with 18 points from seven matches. The club will next face city rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday (October 1).

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Arsenal in race to sign Villarreal's Pau Torres

According to Fichajes, Arsenal are set to face competition from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur for Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres' signature next summer. Arteta is keen to pair William Saliba with Torres at the Emirates.

A left-footed ball-playing centre-back, Torres has scored 11 goals and provided six assists in 142 appearances for the Yellow Submarine.