Douglas Luiz to Man United transfer link emerges ahead of Aston Villa v Juventus
Midfielder Douglas Luiz could be allowed to leave Juventus as early as January, according to reports in Italy. The Brazilian only left Aston Villa, as part of a summer of multiple transactions involving the two clubs, in the last transfer window as Villa sought to alleviate their PSR concerns.
Luiz headed to Turin with Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea heading in the other direction - Iling-Junior has remained in Italy on loan with Bologna while Barrenechea has earned himself an Argentina call-up after his exploits with Valencia in Spain - but Luiz hasn't appeared to settle in Serie A and has struggled to make an impact under Thiago Motta.
The 26-year-old hasn't played at all since the middle of October, when he completed his only domestic 90 minutes for the Old Lady this season, in a 1-0 win over Lazio. Since, he has been absent due to muscle fatigue. While his return to Villa Park this coming week in the Champions League might've been an opportunity to reunite with his old teammates and supporters, it remains to be seen if Luiz will even be involved.
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Gazetta claim that Juve are open to parting with Luiz in January if they were to receive suitable offers in the window, although they're not expected, such is the price tag on the midfielder. Juve, who are keen to strengthen both their defence and their forward line, could be open to a loan exchange, however, and one name put forward is Joshua Zirkzee.
The attacker was based in Italy last year with Bologna and helped them qualify for the Champions League, before moving to Manchester United in the summer, although the move itself hasn't worked out; the Dutchman scored the winner on his debut against Fulham, but hasn't scored since that August strike. Indeed he's been linked with a move to Villa, too, but he could instead be used to arrange Luiz's return to the Premier League.