Aston Villa’s €70 million-rated midfielder offers himself to Barcelona – report | OneFootball

A report from SPORT has mentioned that the agents of Douglas Luiz have been persistently contacting Deco, Barcelona’s sporting director, to propose a move for the Aston Villa midfielder to Barcelona.

It is suggested that Barcelona have created two lists to strengthen their midfield. The first list contains top-tier midfielders that would require a significant financial investment and the second list is more budget-friendly.

The final decision on these players depends on how much money Barcelona can raise through player sales.

Meanwhile, Luiz is one of the top-tier players that Barcelona have been considering for months. He had an impressive season with Aston Villa, helping the team secure a spot in the Champions League for the first time in 41 years.

Deco likes Douglas Luiz

The 26-year-old ended the 2023/24 season with 10 goals and 10 assists across all competitions. These are remarkable statistics for a player in his position.

Douglas Luiz is expected to leave Aston Villa this summer. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

To put this in perspective, Frenkie de Jong, who is 27, scored only two goals and provided no assists in 30 official games this season.

It has been known for months that Deco is a fan of the Brazilian international and he had travelled to England several times to watch the midfielder play.

Now, in recent weeks, one of Luiz’s agents has been persistently contacting Deco to push for the transfer as it seems likely that he will leave Villa this summer.

Aston Villa will sanction the sale

It is said that Aston Villa’s sporting director Monchi and coach Unai Emery are open to Luiz’s departure, as long as their financial demands are met. The player is valued at around €70 million, but he might be sold for slightly more.

Barcelona are aware that Juventus are also negotiating for the player and might include American midfielder Weston McKennie in the deal. Meanwhile, Arsenal are also interested in him.

For now, it is expected that Barcelona will not make any immediate moves for Luiz or any other midfielder in the coming weeks.

First, they need to balance their budget to comply with financial regulations by July 1. Only after that will they monitor the transfer market, especially the activity in the Premier League, which could influence their decisions.