Leeds United have been searching far and wide for new signings following the club’s promotion to the Premier League under Daniel Farke.
The German now has £150million to spend on new players at Leeds United and he looks set to spend every penny of it, and much of it could go towards a deal for Juventus and Brazil midfielder Douglas Luiz.
It’s been reported that Luiz has been offered to Leeds United this summer following the 27-year-old’s failed maiden season at Juventus, who signed him in a £42million deal from Aston Villa last summer.
Arsenal were desperate to sign Leeds United target Douglas Luiz in 2022
Expect Luiz to be the centre of a transfer battle this summer if Juventus are ready to let him leave, either on loan or permanently. And that’s exactly what happened in 2022.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal were desperate to sign the central midfielder and the Gunners even saw three bids rejected from Villa, with the highest of which coming in at around the £25million mark, per reports.
It proved a good decision for Villa who claimed almost double that amount when they sold him to Juventus last summer. For the Italian giants, Luiz played 19 times in Serie A last season, failing to score or assist.
Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery both rate Douglas Luiz highly
Few might remember that Luiz was originally brought to England by Man City. Pep Guardiola’s side signed the Rio-born Luiz from Vasco de Gama in 2017 but he was never granted a work permit at the Etihad, leaving for Villa in 2019.
During his time at City, Luiz was sent on loan to Girona to keep himself active. Pep later spoke about his talents and the frustrations of Luiz not being granted a work permit, saying: “[Douglas] has ability, quality to play and we decide he can play. I accept the rules but I don’t understand, anyone in the world can work where he wants.
“Because of a [lack of] work permit, it was not possible [for him] to be with us. He had to make steps so he went [on loan] to Girona and now he’s settled perfectly at Villa, so I’m happy for him. He’s playing really well.”
And Luiz certainly went on to prevail with Villa. Unai Emery himself became a huge fan of Luiz’s, saying of the player in 2023: “I am very happy with Douglas Luiz. His skill, characteristic in the squad is very important. Every match he is very focused on how we can manage 90 minutes keeping ball possession, keeping good positioning, taking our time with our central midfielder and his characteristic is necessary in this team.”
Three reasons why Douglas Luiz to Leeds United would be a great signing
He’s got a proven track record in the Premier League
Having players with proven Premier League quality will be vital for Farke next season. And it’s already been reported that Leeds United want to sign Premier League players this summer, acknowledging that they didn’t have enough of them last time they were in the Premier League.
Luiz was one of the best midfielders in the Premier League when at Villa and so there’s no doubting his ability to come in and do a job for the Whites.
Douglas Luiz signing would state Leeds United’s intent
Leeds United have reacted positively to the Luiz rumours, though many think the signing is a tad unlikely given his quality. Nonetheless, if Leeds can pull off an ambitious deal for Luiz, and do so early on this summer, it would be a real statement from the club.
It could do Farke a lot of favours in the remainder of the transfer market as it would show to other potential signings that Leeds mean business, potentially going a long way in attracting other top names into signing at Elland Road.
Douglas Luiz would get the best out of Leeds United’s attackers
Luiz pulled the strings for Villa. He dictated games and commanded the midfield and Leeds United and Farke would no doubt love a player like that, as he’d get even more out of Leeds’ attacking talent.
Names like Dan James and Joel Piroe would really benefit from having such a pass-master in the middle of the pitch, along with any other attackers who sign this summer.
