According to The Pitch Prospect, Douglas Luiz is ready to return to the Premier League less than seven months after leaving Aston Villa.
And the Brazilian’s interest is not low, with two English top-flight clubs keeping an eye on his current situation in Turin.
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Luiz moved from Villa to Serie A giants Juventus for a whopping £42.3million last June, while Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea moved in the opposite direction.
However, Luiz’s transfer did not go according to plan.
Of the 26-year-old’s 16 appearances in all competitions this season, only three have been as starters.
Juventus coach Thiago Motta has instead preferred a midfielder with Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram, while Teun Koopmeiners operates as an attacking midfielder.
Due to his lack of playing time, The Pitch Prospect understands Villa and Manchester City are willing to offer Luiz an exit route.
On The Pitch Prospect Breakfast, chief football correspondent Alex Crook shed light on the transfer situation surrounding the Brazilian.
“He (Luiz) is desperate to get back to the Premier League,” Crook said.
“I think his old club, Aston Villa, is monitoring the situation.”
Crook added he had checked some time ago whether City, who had Luiz on their books before selling him to Villa in 2019, were in the market for him.
The Premier League champions played down talk of a move but Crook revealed the situation had changed.
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“I have since learned from a reliable source that they are looking for a defensive midfielder,” Crook said.
Crook added: “I think Pep Guardiola himself admitted to me after the Brentford draw that it was a problem for them.”
“If it’s an easy deal I can imagine City would be interested. I definitely think it’s something to keep an eye on.”
City are in desperate need of reinforcements in defensive midfield since Ballon d’Or winner Rodri tore his cruciate ligament against Arsenal earlier this season.
With the Spaniard ruled out for the season, Guardiola will have to rely on Mateo Kovacic as his primary option at the base of midfield.
Ilkay Gündogan is also in City’s squad, but at 34 years old the German is no longer the phenomenon he once was.
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With City still competing on three fronts this season, Guardiola is under no illusions that he needs a few new faces.
City have already made a big splash in the January window, with The Pitch Prospect learning they are nearing an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for striker Omar Marmoush.
The club have also agreed a £33m deal with Lens plus add-ons for centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov.
City’s activity in the transfer market follows their improved form as they are unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions.
Guardiola’s side have also scored a whopping 23 goals in this area, including a 6-0 win over Ipswich Town on Sunday.
City will look to maintain their impressive performances when they face Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday.
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