Douglas Luiz has not signed new Aston Villa contract says boss Steven Gerrard, amid Arsenal interest
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Steven Gerrard is keeping tight-lipped about the future of Douglas Luiz, who has delayed signing a new contract with Aston Villa… while Arsenal are considering a third move for the £23million-rated midfielder.
- Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard said Douglas Luiz has not renewed his contract
- The Brazilian’s contract expires at the end of the season, leaving the door open for relocation
- Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal still interested, after bid fail on deadline
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Steven Gerrard has confirmed Douglas Luiz has been delayed in signing a contract extension at Aston Villa – leaving the window open to a possible move to Arsenal.
As previously reported by Sportsmail, Arsenal are considering a third transfer for the 24-year-old Brazilian, partly due to injury concerns over Thomas Partey.
A deadline day move by the Gunners has not materialized, and it is believed the London club could come back with a bid lower than the one they submitted in September.
Aston Villa’s Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz has been the subject of many Arsenal bids
Ahead of Aston Villa’s trip to Leeds United, manager Gerrard told reporters that Luiz had stalled on new contract talks, but the Brazilian was very focused on working hard for the club, despite speculation about his future.
Luiz is currently signed with Aston Villa until next summer, but there is no move to extend his ties with Villa Park.
Gerrard said: “No news that he is extending his stay here, so that situation has not changed, but what I would say is that he is very focused and has trained well.
‘Am I surprised by the speculation? No, because we have a young Brazilian player who is a fantastic talent, so I expect this question will be asked a lot as the season progresses.
Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard said Luiz remained focused despite the speculation
“We want him to stay here, the owners were very strong to keep him here.
“Obviously we didn’t want to lose him on the final day and since then he has performed very well and he has trained very well and he is ready to go at the weekend.”
The Olympic gold medalist joined Aston Villa in the summer of 2019, after a failed spell at Manchester City.
He fits well into life in Birmingham, having played over 100 games for the club and is in a relationship with Aston Villa women’s player Alisha Lehmann.
However, Arteta and Luiz have a working relationship during their time at the Etihad, which could tempt the Brazilian to move to north London.
Luiz previously worked with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta when they were at Man City
