Everton and West Ham in straight fight to land Douglas Luiz as Aston Villa refuse to re-sign wantaway Juventus star
EVERTON and West Ham are set to battle it out for Douglas Luiz as the player plots a return to the Premier League.
The former Aston Villa star, 27, is top of David Moyes’ list as he aims to land a marquee name ahead of the Toffees’ move to their new stadium.
But Graham Potter is also tracking the Juventus player, who has failed to settle in Italy and wants to quit the Serie A giants.
Villa are believed to have an option to re-sign the player but aren’t interested in sanctioning a fairytale return, while talks on a swap which would see Jadon Sancho join Juve and Luiz head to Manchester United appear to have cooled.
That’s opened the door to other clubs who want to capitalise on Luiz’s renowned Premier League pedigree.
Arsenal were once close to signing Luiz from Aston Villa – but there’s no chance of the Gunners making a move for the player now having already boosted their midfield over the summer.
But Everton and West Ham are both desperate to beef up their midfield and see Luiz as a perfect fit.
A source told SunSport: “Luiz is set to become one of the most coveted players of the window.
“Everton and West Ham are keen, but others may well join the bidding.”
Juventus are believed to favour the idea of a permanent deal for the player.
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But they may also be open to the option of a loan move to help reduce their wage bill.
Luiz emerged from Vasco da Gama’s academy in Rio de Janeiro and played 35 matches, scoring five goals, for the senior side in 2016–17 before a transfer to Manchester City.
He never made a senior appearance, but instead spent two seasons on loan at Girona in LaLiga.
In July 2019, Luiz moved to Aston Villa, where – over five seasons – he made 175 Premier League appearances, scoring 20 goals and providing 18 assists.
Playing under Unai Emery in the 2023–24 season, he delivered his most productive campaign with nine goals and five assists.
He also completed over 1,800 passes that season, with an accuracy above 89 per cent, the highest among any of Villa’s midfielders.
In July 2024, Juventus signed him on a five-year deal for £42.5million million, following his influential role in Villa’s qualification for the Champions League for the first time in over four decades.
He’s made 19 Serie A appearances for Juventus but hasn’t yet registered a goal or assist.
His time in Italy has also seen him break up with fellow Juventus and former Aston Villa star, Alisha Lehmann.
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