ASTON VILLA MIDFIELDER DOUGLAS LUIZ JOINS JUVENTUS ON MASSIVE €50 MILLION TRANSFER
Aston Villa Football Club have confirmed that midfielder Douglas Luiz has joined Italian giants Juventus after the two clubs reached an agreement on a transfer this week, the English side announced on Sunday.
Per European journalist Fabrizio Romano, the deal is worth €50 million ($53 million) in total fees, which Juventus will pay in four installments. Initially thought to be a swap transfer that involved midfielder Enzo Barrenechea and forward Samuel Iling-Junior, Luiz’s move to Juventus is a stand-alone deal between Villa and the Serie A side. The Brazilian international signed with the Turin-based club on a five-year deal which is set to keep him in Northern Italy until June 30th, 2029.
Luiz signed for Villa as a 21-year-old in the summer of 2019 and has made a total 204 appearances for the club scoring 22 times and providing 24 assists over his five years with the team. The 2020 Olympic champion with Brazil not only helped the club qualify for the UEFA Europa Conference League a couple of years ago but also the UEFA Champions League this past season.
Amongst the Aston Villa players, only English striker Ollie Watkins made more Premier League starts than Douglas Luiz in the previous campaign.
“The time has come to say see you soon, Villa Park,” wrote Luiz in a goodbye message to Villa fans via an Instagram post on Sunday. “I want to start by thanking everyone (club, players, fans & staff). This was a place where I felt at home – you fans made an impact on my career and you will never be forgotten by me. I will miss you! I hope I made you proud.”
“You can be sure that I always tried to give my best version, as a player and as a human being. It was 5 years of many joys, celebrations, struggles, learning, games, fun and many other things. Now I will continue my life at another club, but my passion for you will never fade. Thank you for everything Aston Villa.”
Voted after the 2022/23 season as Aston Villa’s Players’ Player and Supporters’ Player of the Season, Douglas Luiz has developed into one of the most reliable midfielders in the Premier League over the past half-decade. The 26-year-old is known for his knack to manipulate space in midfield, carry the ball, advance it and play it to his teammates in transition. A natural central midfielder with great finishing ability, Luiz is now set for a new challenge with the Bianconeri.
The Rio de Janeiro-born playmaker successfully completed his medicals with Juventus on Friday and is the first of a few acquisitions expected at Juventus this summer. Luiz is also moving to Italy with his partner and women’s football superstar Alisha Lehmann, who together with former Everton Women’s Hanna Bennison, is set to sign with Juventus Women this week.
With Douglas Luiz now in the Old Lady fold, Juventus is gearing up for a new era under new head coach Thiago Motta, who the club hired just last month. The Zebras are coming off a tough season in which the club did not participate in any European competition for the first time in over a decade, and are thought to be on the market for a striker, a winger/forward and one or two defenders.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero
Photo: Kolforn. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.