Aston Villa star, Douglas Luiz has been spoken up for a move to Arsenal by former defender, Kieran Gibbs in a recent interview.
One of Aston Villa’s standout stars this campaign has been Douglas Luiz, there is no shadow of a doubt. Despite there being many great performers, he has been up there with the best.
Under the tutelage of Unai Emery, the Brazilian has become a top-quality box-to-box midfielder. Forming a top-class partnership with Boubacar Kamara at the heart of the Villa midfield.
Alongside the duo, stars like John McGinn and Leon Bailey have been on top of their game this season. Both contributing massively to the side.
All this positivity saw Villa come into 2024 in second place in the Premier League. They now sit just three points off top spot.
The great form of the Villans has inevitably seen their stars be linked with moves away from the club. This is despite their high standing.
Kieran Gibbs touts Douglas Luiz for Arsenal
It has been a transfer rumour that has refused to go away in recent months. Arsenal have reportedly wanted to sign Luiz for many a season.
Whether or not the rumours are true, the Brazilian has stayed at Villa Park and has grown into his role in the Villa midfield.
With that being said, former Arsenal man, Kieran Gibbs has suggested that the Gunners should sign Luiz in January.
Speaking with ESPN, the former left-back reacted to his old side’s loss to Fulham and suggested the Villa man to help fix their problems.
On that, he said: “It’s probably the best idea to go and get someone like Douglas Luiz.
“If I was to do anything I’d probably shore up the midfield and hope that in the second half of the season [Bukayo] Saka, [Gabriel] Martinelli and [Martin] Odegaard come alive.”
It is safe to say that Villa would demand a hefty fee for Luiz whether that be this month or in the summer transfer window. With that being said, Gibbs believes a swap deal could improve the chances of the deal.
Continuing on, he added: “You can swap players, there are deals to be done there for sure. There’s Emile Smith Rowe, there’s Eddie [Nketiah], there’s deals to be done there in this window.”
This sounds good on paper but given Villa’s form in the past 12 months, neither of that pair would impact the starting XI. The Villans aren’t the side of old, they are second in the Premier League. They will be looking for quality signings.
There is no disrespect to Smith-Rowe or Nketiah, but Villa wouldn’t trade their star for either one of those.
