Which Douglas Luiz troubles, on and off the field, will lead to inevitable Juventus exit | OneFootball

Douglas Luiz’s Juventus exit seems inevitable after the Brazilian midfielder missed the first day of pre-season without authorisation from the club, adding more trouble to his already turbulent spell in Turin.

Juventus are prepared to sell Douglas Luiz after the Brazilian midfielder failed to report for the first day of pre-season on Thursday.

The ex-Aston Villa star not only failed to justify his €50m price tag in Turin during the 2024-25 season, but also faced several issues on and off the field that quickly made him a foreign body inside the dressing room.

Douglas Luiz struggled with injuries at Juventus

TURIN, ITALY – DECEMBER 14: Douglas Luiz of Juventus reacts to a missed chance during the Serie A match between Juventus and Venezia at Allianz Stadium on December 14, 2024 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Douglas Luiz didn’t score or assist for Juventus in the 2024-25 season and missed 20 games due to injuries, but his poor spell in Turin extends beyond these dry statistics.

To start with, Douglas Luiz was never a regular starter under former Juventus boss Thiago Motta. However, when he was given more playing time around October, he caused penalty kicks in two consecutive games against Cagliari and RB Leipzig. Unfortunately for him and the club, that was just the beginning.

Douglas Luiz never earned a starting status at the Allianz Stadium, neither as a central midfielder nor as an attacking midfielder. After scoring ten goals and providing as many assists for Aston Villa in 2023-24, the Brazilian seemed the sad shadow of himself in Turin.

Douglas Luiz’s off-the-field issues at Juventus

LEWISBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – JUNE 14: Douglas Luiz #26 of Juventus arrives at the airport prior to the official FIFA Club World Cup 2025 on June 14, 2025 in Lewisburg, West Virginia. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Not even the new year and a managerial change helped him in at the Allianz Stadium. On March 11, he was spotted at a club in Turin, just a few hours after a 4-0 home loss against Atalanta, the heaviest home defeat for the Old Lady since 1967. One week later, Juventus suffered another 3-0 loss, leading to Motta’s dismissal and the appointment of Igor Tudor.

Douglas Luiz was injured when Tudor took charge of the team, missing most of the matches under the new Croatian coach.

This past May, he further infuriated Juventus supporters by openly admitting that he missed Aston Villa and their fans. In the same period, he broke up with his partner, Alisha Lehmann, a Juventus Women star, with whom Douglas Luiz had arrived in Turin from Aston Villa a few months earlier.

Nothing really worked for Douglas Luiz in Turin, on and off the pitch, and his latest refusal to resume training with the rest of the team will lead to an inevitable exit, even if Juventus must be very cautious on the terms of his departure.

The Bianconeri sent Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling Junior to Aston Villa after signing Douglas Luiz, practically paying just €28m cash to sign the Brazilian midfielder.

Juventus set Douglas Luiz price tag

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – JULY 01: Douglas Luiz #26 of Juventus FC arrives at the stadium prior to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 round of 16 match between Real Madrid CF and Juventus FC at Hard Rock Stadium on July 01, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

However, the signing of the Brazilian midfielder was formally registered for €50m, which means the Bianconeri aim to sell him for around €40m this summer to avoid a capital loss due to amortisation costs.

According to Calcio&Finanza, the exact amortised cost of Douglas Luiz for 2025-26 is €38.97m, so any fee below this threshold would result in Juventus incurring a loss.

Several Premier League clubs have reportedly shown interest in the 27-year-old, and his agent, Kia Joorabchian, is scheduled to meet with English sides interested in his client in the coming days. However, Juventus have yet to receive a valuable offer for a player who remains under contract until June 2029.