Arteta ready to swallow pride and bid again for Arsenal target after snub
Arsenal have reignited their interest in Douglas Luiz - almost a year after they failed to sign the Aston Villa midfielder.
Villa rejected two bids from the Gunners for Luiz, 25, last summer. The Brazil international had entered the final year of his contract and Mikel Arteta tried to tempt Arsenal's Premier League rivals with a £23million bid on deadline day, which was swiftly rejected.
Villa have since persuaded Luiz to sign a new long-term contract because he "loves this club". Yet it's believed Arsenal are still interested in signing the former Manchester City star and will consider launching a new bid this summer.
The Gunners are on the hunt for a new central midfielder due to Thomas Partey's situation. Juventus and clubs in Saudi Arabia are thought to be interested in signing the Ghana international, 30, potentially leaving Arteta short in midfield.
Although Arsenal have already signed Declan Rice in a record-breaking £105million deal this summer, the former West Ham skipper is a replacement for Granit Xhaka and not Partey. Xhaka, 30, left the Emirates to join Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen.
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It's believed Arteta wants Partey to stay, but the Arsenal boss will be forced to enter the transfer market if he leaves. As reported by The Sun, the Gunners are keen on signing Luiz this summer but face competition from bitter rivals Tottenham.
Spurs are under new management following the arrival of Ange Postecoglou from Celtic earlier this summer and want to build a squad capable of qualifying for Europe. They've already signed James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Manor Solomon.
Arsenal were interested in signing Douglas Luiz last summer (Getty Images)Do you think Arsenal should sign Douglas Luiz? Let us know in the comments below!
It's unclear how much Villa will demand for Luiz, but it'll definitely be a lot more than £23m. He featured in all but one of their Premier League games last season and is a crucial member of Unai Emery's squad, with a European campaign on the horizon.
Villa will compete in the Europa Conference League this coming season and have ambitions to stay in Europe for years to come. They will view Arsenal as a rival for a top-four place after bringing in Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres this summer.
On signing his new Villa deal last October, Luiz said: "I love this club. I love the people here... This club opened the door for me when I came to England to play in the Premier League. I’m so happy because I’m staying here and my choice is here."
Arsenal have already spent more than £200m this summer on Rice, Kai Havertz and Jurrien Timber. All three players featured in their 5-0 pre-season victory against Wayne Rooney's MLS All-Stars in Washington on Wednesday night, with Havertz scoring.
Arsenal's tour of the United States continues with a friendly against Manchester United in New Jersey on Saturday. They will travel to California to face Barcelona after that before returning to England for the Emirates Cup clash against Monaco on August 2.
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