Aston Villa's hand was rather forced in the summer transfer window when they fielded offers for key midfielder Douglas Luiz. They sold the Brazilian for £42.4m to Italian giants Juve in the summer under pressure to raise funds and ensure they remained within the P&S parameters.
Luiz, though, has endured a pretty luckless campaign in Serie A, however; the midfielder, who helped inspire Villa to Champions League qualification last season, has struggled to make much of an impact while playing for the Old Lady.
He has played just 22 matches in all competitions and is yet to register a goal or an assist, with many of his appearances coming from the bench in cameos. Luiz has also encountered and had to overcome various injury issues.
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Reports in Italy suggest that the Turin club would be willing to cut their losses and sell Luiz - who John McGinn once described as 'world class' - after just 12 months of having him on their books. He was tenuously linked with a return to Villa Park, even on a loan basis, in the January transfer window, although nothing materialised.
Villa's president of football operations Monchi did, however, address the links and openly admitted that he would love to see Luiz, who partnered Boubacar Kamara in the heart of Villa's midfield so effectively under Unai Emery, back at the club in time.
"He’s a playmaker. Every ball that comes out of his feet makes sense. After his farewell we invested well, but I would always take Douglas back, for any club. He’s very strong," Monchi told La Gazzetta dello Sport back in November.
"He’s playing less than we would have expected, but we’re talking about a very strong player. Some players make their mark straight away, others need time. You need patience, but Douglas’ qualities are beyond discussion. Last year he played 90 per cent of our games and was decisive."
The reports claim that Juve would take a cut of around 10m euros on what they signed Luiz for last summer, meaning Villa - and others - could sign the international for around £33m this coming transfer window. A host of other Premier League clubs including Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, and former club Manchester City, have been linked.
