According to The Sun, plans to sign Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa in January have been scrapped by Arsenal.
Arsenal move on from Douglas Luiz
Well, Mikel Arteta seemed desperate to sign the Brazil international before the September 1st deadline, with the Gunners submitting three bids – according to Sky Sports, their highest offer was £25m.
However, Aston Villa rejected every single one, before somehow convincing Luiz to sign a new long-term contract in the Midlands, despite the fact he was keen to leave for north London – that was according to The Sun.
Following an announcement of the South American’s new deal, The Sun believe Arsenal now plan to move on to Palmeiras maestro Danilo, another Brazilian midfielder, with a £26m bid in the pipeline.
An offer is also set to be made for Shakhtar Donetsk wonderkid Mykhaylo Mudryk, who told CBS Sports that he wouldn’t be able to say no to Arsenal.
The Sun add that Yeremy Pino is also wanted by Arteta, with a deal possible should Villarreal receive a £25m bid from the north Londoners.
It is said that the Spaniard will be given a £50m budget to improve his side in January, as Arsenal find themselves in the surprise position of a title race – something that nobody expected at the end of last season.
Arsenal can do better than Douglas Luiz
In our view, the bids for Luiz – who cost Aston Villa £15m – came across as panic offers from Arsenal as the minutes ticked away on deadline day.
Had the Aston Villa No.6 actually been a target for Arteta from the start of the summer, a deal easily could’ve been done when Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko were signed, as Luiz was nearing free agency.
At the time, Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey were also injured, so perhaps some anxiety set in at Arsenal.
Now, with time to assess the situation and analyse targets in more depth, Arteta and Edu have a better chance of finding the right option.
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