Aston Villa have sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus in a deal worth a reported $53 million, also moving two young players to Premier League rivals for a combined $30 million.
Luiz, 26 and 15-times capped by Brazil, signs a five-year contract. He made more than 200 appearances for Villa, where he was the Players’ Player of the Year in 2022-23 and led the club into the Conference League last season.
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Villa did not want to sell Luiz, but have had to make a few sales due to concerns about Premier League profit and sustainability rules, rallying money for prospects Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman from Everton and Chelsea, respectively.
Luiz started his career with Vasco da Gama in Brazil before moving to Manchester City in 2017, never appearing for the Premier League side and taking two successful loans to Girona in Spain.
He signed for Aston Villa in 2019 and saw his role and influence grow over time, culminating in his best offensive season last campaign, scoring nine times with five assists.
How will Aston Villa replace Douglas Luiz?
FBRef.com compares Luiz favorably to Brazil teammate Bruno Guimaraes as well as Inter star Nicolo Barella, Atletico Madrid’s Rodrigo De Paul, and Villa teammate John McGinn.
Stats-wise, it’s not just McGinn who displayed a lot of Luiz’s traits last season. Youri Tielemans is in line for a more expansive role, albeit there’s still European congestion.
French international Boubacar Kamara tore his ACL in February, while Leander Dendoncker went on loan to Napoli. It’s almost certain the club will add depth via the transfer market but what does its budget look like after June 30?