Arsenal, Barcelona-linked Douglas Luiz responds to transfer talk

Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has played down suggestions that he could move elsewhere during the summer transfer window.

When Luiz made the switch to Villa Park in 2019, he did so with no Premier League experience under his belt despite his stint with Manchester City.

However, the 25-year-old has since proven to be one of the best pieces of business in the club's history, helping Villa initially re-establish themselves in the top flight before becoming contenders for Champions League qualification.

A total of 22 goals and 24 assists have come from 196 appearances in all competitions, with Luiz the club's most prized asset behind Ollie Watkins.

Nevertheless, his influence and consistency in the middle of the pitch has led to constant speculation regarding a transfer to a bigger club.

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Which clubs have been linked with Douglas Luiz?

Arsenal have most notably been credited as admirers of the Brazil international, seeing multiple offers turned down during a previous transfer window.

Barcelona are also said to be monitoring the situation, even though the Catalan giants are unlikely to be able to afford any valuation set by Villa.

On a week where Villa are preparing to face Lille in the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final, Luiz has been speaking about his future in the West Midlands.

Rather than expressing a desire to take on a new challenge, Luiz has described his current stint with Villa as "the start of a new chapter".

Luiz told DAZN Portugal: "We're all very happy with how this season is going, especially me, with all the history that the club is building and for my goals and assists, too."

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"Personally, I'm very happy with it all and I think it's just the start of a new chapter. As I always say, Aston Villa is a huge club and we're prepared to write a new chapter.

"Since Unai arrived there was a huge boost in the group's confidence. I think he brought confidence to the team because we always had a good group of players. The squad is pretty much the same, only one or two players were bought in, so I think his work was important for the history that we're writing."

Douglas Luiz contract situation

Luiz remaining at Villa in the long term should not be regarded as a foregone conclusion for a number of reasons.

Most importantly, just over two years remain on his contract and it is yet to be determined whether he plans to sign an extension past 2026.

Furthermore, Villa may soon find themselves in a position where they need to ensure that they pass the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules, and could potentially need to facilitate at least one significant sale.