Arsenal is reportedly eyeing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz as their primary target for the upcoming January transfer window, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. Despite significant summer spending exceeding £200 million on players like Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, Declan Rice, and David Raya, Mikel Arteta’s team has experienced a relatively successful start to the 2023/24 season, currently holding the third position in the Premier League standings, just one point behind leaders Manchester City.
However, the injury setback to holding midfielder Thomas Partey, who is set to miss the rest of 2023 due to a medical procedure, has led Arsenal to explore midfield options for the upcoming transfer window. Among the players linked to the club are Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa and Ruben Neves from Al Hilal. Romano emphasized that Luiz is the priority for Arsenal, as stated on his YouTube channel.
Romano mentioned, “The top target is Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa. There is nothing with Ruben Neves despite rumors. But for Douglas Luiz, from my understanding, it’s not an easy deal. Arsenal will try; Arsenal dream of him, but it’s not something concrete.” Despite the interest, the pursuit of Luiz by Arsenal is described as challenging, suggesting that a potential deal is not yet firmly established.
