With Champions League football awaiting, and a genuinely elite-level manager at the helm in Unai Emery, there are not many clubs their star men could leave Aston Villa for and consider it a step upwards.
But, according to the former coach of a player who has gone up another level or two since Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in late-2022, regular action in Europe’s elite club competition and a few league winners’ medals would provide immediate justification should a summer departure come to fruition.
HITC reported earlier this week that Douglas Luiz could be the man Aston Villa sacrifice in order to placate the demons of Financial Fair Play. Villa were desperate to retain top scorer Ollie Watkins, goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez and homegrown hero Jacob Ramsey.
With contract talks stalling, however, Villa were a little more open to offers for their £50 million-rated Brazil international playmaker.
Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz in Juventus talks
Juventus are now in talks over a deal which could see Luiz leave Birmingham for Turin, potentially with Dean Huijsen, Samuel Iling-Junior and/or Weston McKennie heading in the other direction.
Jorge de Amorim Campo – or Jorginho as he is better known – worked with a young Douglas Luiz back home at Vasco da Gama. And he feels that the most successful club in Serie A history is the natural next step for a footballer still yet to hit his peak at the age of 26.
“Juventus is a great football team known throughout the world,” Jorginho tells TuttoJuve, the Bianconeri confirming the appointment of former Bologna boss Thiago Motta as Massimiliano Allegri’s replacement this week.
“I know (Motta) well, and (Luiz) could do well under his guidance.
“Juve it is a better opportunity than his current one, because winning is in their DNA. This could be a huge gain for him.
“Yes, Juventus would be the right club for him. They are at a higher level – no offence – than Girona and Aston Villa, so I think he could aspire to win the Scudetto and play in the Champions League.
“On a tactical level he could have a very important growth. Thiago will help him in this. He knows the Brazilian mentality very well.”
From Premier League to Serie A
The midfield area has been a weak spot in Juventus’ starting XI for a number of seasons now. Arguably since the likes of Blaise Matuidi and Claudio Marchisio departed. The arrival of Luiz, Jorginho says, will go a long way to fixing that long-running Achilles heel.
“He is so flexible that he can cover the most important positions in midfield,” adds the 1994 World Cup winner. “There will never be any problems with the formation, because he can adapt in a 4-2-3-1 or in a 4-4-2 and also in a 3-5-2.
“He is very intelligent from a tactical point of view, he never hides from the game and always tries to be useful for his teammates in the build-up phase.”
Aston Villa’s Luiz replacement could be McKennie. The one-time Leeds United loanee was reportedly keen on a move to Villa Park when still a Schalke player back in 2020 but immediately shifted his focus to Juventus when one of Europe’s A-list clubs made their interest known.
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