Chelsea in talks to sign £42m former Arsenal target as club sanction transfer
Chelsea are in talks to sign former Premier League midfielder Douglas Luiz from Juventus, according to reports in Italy.
Juve spent over £40m to sign Brazil international Luiz from Aston Villa last summer but are ready to cash in just seven months since he arrived in Turin.
Luiz was a mainstay in the Villa team for five years – making over 200 appearances for the Midlands club – but has struggled for minutes at Juventus.
The 26-year-old has started just three league games under Juve boss Thiago Motta and has been deemed surplus to requirements during the January transfer window.
Chelsea are interested in bringing Luiz back to the English top-flight and have opened talks with Juventus over a deal, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The Blues are looking to bolster Enzo Maresca’s options after a significant blip over the festive period saw Chelsea slip out of the Premier League title race.
Chelsea have expressed interest in signing Luiz on loan but Juventus are hoping to offload the Brazilian on a permanent transfer.
Juve are expected to sign at least one new defender before the January window closes and are therefore attempting to offload a couple of players to make room for the new additions.
Chelsea’s Renato Veiga and Newcastle United’s Lloyd Kelly have emerged as January targets for the Italian giants, who are currently fifth in Serie A.
Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic is another player Juve are ready to sell, with Chelsea and Arsenal both linked with moves for a player who has scored 30 goals over the last season-and-a-half.
Asked about the potential sales of Vlahovic and Luiz, Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli recently said: ‘We do not want to go into the outgoing market, but we need to implement the squad.
‘For the defence we will focus on guys who can give a big hand. We have started a journey, changing many players, and we are convinced that we will return to being competitive soon.’
Luis was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal after he helped Aston Villa qualify for the Champions League but Juventus secured his signature in a deal worth £42.35m.
Chelsea are yet to secure any January signings but have also been linked with a surprise move for Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho.
But Jeff Stelling, the former Sky Sports presenter, says Garnacho is the ‘last thing’ Chelsea need.
‘There’s a story going around in one or two of the papers this morning,’ Stelling said on talkSPORT in a conversation with ex-Chelsea defender Scott Minto.
‘I normally wouldn’t take any notice of it but it comes from Fabrizio Romano who is usually pretty close to the mark with transfers.
‘It’s about Alejandro Garnacho possibly going to Chelsea. With Neto, Madueke, Sancho… surely a Garnacho is the last thing Chelsea need?’
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