Manchester City ‘stepping up’ interest in Aston Villa midfielder ahead of summer move

Officials from Manchester City are reportedly ‘stepping up’ their interest in Aston Villa midfielder and former City Football Group talent Douglas Luiz.

The Premier League champions are understood to be eyeing a significant summer market in the coming months as they hope to revamp and rejuvenate Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering playing squad for the final years of his Etihad stay.

With a number of players now entering their twilight years of their respective top-level playing careers, and a few other names also holding uncertain futures in sky blue, there is a clear need to invest across a number of positions.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Bernardo Silva, as well as Kevin De Bruyne’s age coming into consideration for the first time, midfield is an obvious area to recruit in, and the latest report links City with a move within the Premier League.

That is according to the information of Football Insider, who claim that Manchester City are now ‘stepping up’ their interest in Aston Villa and Brazil international star midfielder Douglas Luiz ahead of the upcoming summer window.

It is claimed that City manager Pep Guardiola is a ‘huge fan’ of the 25-year-old, and believes he has ‘improved significantly’ in the last two years. As such, the Etihad boss is now said to be ‘ready to bring him back’ to the club following his exit five years ago.

While Manchester City had originally inserted a buy-back clause in the deal to sell Luiz in 2019, that option has now expired, although they are reportedly ‘ready to push’ Premier League title rivals Arsenal all the way for the player’s services.

Douglas Luiz first joined Manchester City from Vasco da Gama in the summer of 2017 as part of the City Football Group’s vast scouting mission across the globe to secure the best up and coming talents, with Luiz penning a five-year deal with the Etihad side at the time.

During the same summer, Luiz was then loaned to fellow City Football Group side Girona, and followed up his stay in La Liga with another temporary deal with the Catalan side due to the UK Home Office denying him a work permit with Manchester City.

Luiz’s association to Manchester City would ultimately come to an end in the summer of 2019, as he joined Aston Villa on a permanent deal following the granting of a work permit in August of that summer.