Italian outlet CalcioMercato claim that Liverpool could table an offer to sign Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz and include Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in a deal – with Steven Gerrard said to be an admirer of the England international.
Luiz, 24, remained at Aston Villa this summer despite three offers from Arsenal on deadline day. The biggest totaling £25million. But his future is still very much in doubt, with the Brazilian’s contract due to expire at the end of the season.
It might be that in January, Aston Villa look to offload the Brazil international. The January window now presents their last opportunity to bring in some cash for his signature. That is of course, if he does not sign a new Aston Villa deal.
The latest report claims that Liverpool still want to bolster their midfield, despite the deadline-day loan signing of Arthur Melo from Juventus. Luiz is a ‘main target’ for Liverpool ahead of the window, and they could offer a swap.
Indeed, Oxlade-Chamberlain remains on the fringes at Anfield and is in a similar position to Luiz in terms of his deal. His contract expires at the end of the season. He is currently injured, but Gerrard is supposedly a fan of the Reds ace.
Liverpool could table Luiz offer and include Oxlade-Chamberlain
It is an interesting one. Liverpool have secured a move for Arthur. He made his debut as a substitute against Napoli, in the 4-1 Champions League drubbing. But it might be that Jurgen Klopp feels his side still need another body.
Harvey Elliott has arguably been his side’s best midfielder so far this season. But even he will be surprised about the amount of game time he is getting. James Milner signed a new one-year deal, but he is likely to leave next summer.
Jordan Henderson’s injuries are growing, as his performances decline. Arthur does have a permanent clause but it is unclear at this stage if Liverpool will activate that. So, there is a need for a midfielder and Luiz makes sense.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
