Douglas Luiz’s next move is still undecided, with both Aston Villa and Chelsea showing interest in bringing the Brazil international back to the Premier League from Juventus. His loan spell at Nottingham Forest has not helped his case.
Douglas Luiz’s next move is still undecided, with both Aston Villa and Chelsea showing interest in bringing the Brazil international back to the Premier League from Juventus. His loan spell at Nottingham Forest has not helped his case.
The 27-year-old has made just 14 appearances across all competitions, totalling only 710 minutes and five league starts. Given his limited role, it is no surprise that he is looking for a move, and clubs are starting to take notice.
Initial reports linked Chelsea with Luiz. The deal would require Forest to terminate his loan before any agreement between Chelsea and Juventus could be reached. Rumours then followed that the Brazilian midfielder had agreed terms with the London club.
However, Aston Villa have since been mentioned as another potential destination. Luiz left Villa Park for Juventus in the summer of 2024. Now, it appears he has chosen between the two options.
Douglas Luiz picks between Aston Villa and Chelsea
Over 204 appearances for Villa, the former Vasco man had a direct hand in 47 goals, scoring 22 himself. Despite his struggles since moving to Turin, he remains well-regarded at Villa, and Unai Emery is said to be interested in bringing him back.
Nizaar Kinsella of BBC Sport reports that Luiz has made up his mind about where he wants to play before the window closes, preferring a return to Aston Villa over a move to Chelsea.
Given how well he performed under Emery at Villa Park, that choice isn’t all that surprising. Forest would need to agree to end his loan first before any deal with either club can happen.
Douglas Luiz likely to see more minutes at Aston Villa than Chelsea
Even with Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Andrey Santos, and Reece James in the mix, Chelsea still have a clear need for more options in midfield. Rosenior has used James at right-back across his first five games in charge and shows no signs of moving him inside.
James is also not a player you can count on for consecutive full matches, given his fitness record. While Chelsea do need extra depth, Villa’s situation is more pressing because of several injuries.
Boubacar Kamara is out for the season, while John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley are all sidelined as well. That leaves Luiz with a much clearer path to regular minutes at Villa than he would find at Chelsea.
Category: General Sports
