Aston Villa are “adamant” that they will not sell Douglas Luiz in January and will reject any offer that is submitted.
Speaking to Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, editor Wayne Veysey revealed that the Villans feel the Brazilian’s departure would be “too disruptive” if they lost him mid-season.
As revealed by Football Insider, Arsenal have made Luiz their number one target for 2024 and he is also attracting interest from former club Man City.
Sources told Football Insider that Villa now rate Luiz, 25, as a £100million-plus player, using the barometer of the nine-figure sales of Declan Rice to Arsenal and Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea.
They regard Luiz as on a par with those three defensive midfielders, who all completed mega-money transfers in 2023.
Nevertheless, Unai Emery’s side consider Luiz too important to let go and that was their stance ever before their recent incredible form.
The midfielder has been in stellar form this season, notching six goals and four assists in all competitions.
He has been a mainstay at Villa Park after featuring in every game for his side and racking up 1975 minutes across 25 appearances.
Luiz was a key player in Villa’s incredible resurgence since Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in the dugout in October last year and bagged match-winning goals against Tottenham and Brighton at the end of last season to secure a spot in the Europa Conference League.
Villa have secured back-to-back victories over title-chasing Arsenal and Man City in their last two Premier League fixtures.
Their third-place position in the table puts them firmly in the race to secure Champions League qualification.
They have suffered just three league defeats all season coming against fellow European chasers Newcastle United, Liverpool as well as Nottingham Forest.
Villa ended their Conference League group stage at the top of Group E after a 1-1 draw against Zrinjski Mostar and next face Brentford away on Sunday (17 December).
