As Mikel Arteta works to expand his midfield options, Arsenal's attempt to capture Douglas Luiz has been dealt a serious setback. The 24-year-old was extensively connected with a move to the Emirates Stadium in the summer, but a deal never materialized. His contract at Villa Park expires at the end of the current campaign.
According to football.london, the Gunners had been keeping an eye on Luiz for a while before submitting a bid in the summer that was reportedly in the neighborhood of £25 million. After realizing that Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny would be out injured, Arteta's team made three offers for the Aston Villa player.
However, Steven Gerrard's team remained steadfast since the squad did not want to lose a first-team player.Arsenal face increasing competition from Premier League rivals for Luiz's signature.
According to the BirminghamLive, Chelsea are the latest side to have registered interest in the Brazil international. With Luiz's deal coming to an end, it will be difficult for Villa to warrant as big an asking price with clubs eligible to begin pre-contract talks in January.
The west Londoners' interest in the midfielder comes as Jorginho and N'Golo Kante face increasingly uncertain futures at Stamford Bridge. Like Luiz, the duo each see their deals expire next summer, with Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all currently able to leave via a free transfer in the summer of 2024.
With Graham Potter set to potentially scupper Arteta's midfield plan in January, Steven Gerrard explained the club's decision to deny Luiz a deadline day move to Arsenal. The former Liverpool midfielder said: "I’ve got confidence that he’ll understand the situation and the club’s decision.
"We didn’t want to lose a very important player and a top player so late in the window," Gerrard added. "From a personal point of view I very much back the club’s stance on that I spoke to him face-to-face yesterday and he understood where we were at and the position the club was in. He very much respects the decision so hopefully it will calm down in the hours and days to follow and he’ll be fine moving forward."
Had Luiz penned a deal at Arsenal, he would have been the Gunners' sixth signing of the summer - and third Brazilian. With the Villa star fitting the profile of player Arteta wants, he'd likely have seamlessly slotted into the north Londoners' starting XI
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