Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard insists he wants to keep Douglas Luiz amidst interest from Arsenal, even though he admits it would be hard to achieve that.
Luiz is the subject of serious transfer interest from the Gunners, who have been monitoring him.
They made a late swoop for his signature in the last transfer window, but Villa stood their ground and turned down some really good offers for his signature.
The midfielder would be out of contract in the summer, and Mikel Arteta’s side could return for his signature.
Gerrard knows he is a top talent and understands the interest, but Villa remains committed to keeping him.
He said, as quoted by The Daily Mail:
‘Am I surprised by the speculation? No, because we have got a young Brazilian player who is a fantastic talent.
‘I expect to be asked this question a lot as the season progresses. We want him to stay here. I think the owners were very strong in keeping him here.’
Just Arsenal Opinion
Luiz is there for the taking now as he approaches the end of his time as a Villa player.
We need to show we are serious about signing him by making a move in January.
However, if we have enough midfield cover, we could get him on a pre-contract agreement to join in the summer.
It”s a long season we will need him
We either sign him in January or move on to other targets, he’s not the marquee midfielder to wait one entire season for.
We want him only to do a specific job.
Players like Lacottelli and Danilo has a higher potential ceiling
I reckon our vast improvement means merely decent players such as Luiz are no longer our main requirement. Therefore, I doubt we will be seriously interested in him but in someone else, notably better.
When present standards hugely improve, then ambition in who you wish to sign changes too. Just my personal take.