Liverpool in the mix to sign ex-Manchester City midfielder, asking price around £60 million: Reports
Liverpool are allegedly interested in signing former Manchester City star and Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz ahead of the next season.
Luiz, who was reportedly subject to three bids from Arsenal in the summer of 2022, has cemented himself as a crucial starter for Villa in the last couple of seasons. He helped them finish fourth in the 2023-24 Premier League standings, acting as their main creative force.
A right-footed box-to-box midfielder renowned for his passing and set-pieces, Luiz started 49 of his 53 appearances across all competitions last season. The 13-cap Brazil international found the back of the net 10 times and laid out as many assists for his current club.
Now, according to Calciomercato.it, Juventus have earmarked Luiz as one of their top transfer targets alongside Atalanta star Teun Koopmeiners. However, they are likely to face tough competition from Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal in the summer window.
Luiz, who is thought to be valued at around £60 million, could rebuff Juventus and remain in the Premier League next season. Should he join Liverpool, he would pop up as a starter for them, pushing Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch further down their pecking order.
Since leaving Manchester City for over £14 million in 2019, Luiz has played in 204 matches across competitions for Aston Villa. He has netted 22 goals and recorded 24 assists for the Unai Emery-coached side.
Player demands move away from Liverpool
Earlier in May, Liverpool reportedly slapped a price tag of £20 million on Sepp van den Berg, who shone for FSV Mainz 05 last campaign.
Speaking to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Van den Berg lambasted the Reds for treating him unfairly. He commented (h/t The Standard):
"I felt ready [in 2021]. I had a good conversation with the management. He said he had received good reports. I understood that I wasn't going to play [Virgil] van Dijk, [Joel] Matip, or [Ibrahima] Konate out [of the team]. But I thought I could be right behind them. When I didn't get a chance again, I said: 'I want to leave'."
Calling out the decision to slap a hefty asking price, the star continued:
"[Liverpool] didn't exude confidence in me all this time, but you do want to hinder my future. I want to keep playing every week and develop myself further. In Germany, I enjoyed Dortmund away with 70,000 people, Bayern Munich away against Harry Kane, VfB Stuttgart, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen... I was challenged every week."
Van den Berg, 22, helped Mainz keep eight shutouts and scored three goals in 33 Bundesliga games during a fruitful loan spell last season.