Arsenal are willing to shell out £25m for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz as they look to add to their ranks before the end of the transfer window, according to reports.
The Gunners have been left short in midfield, with a long term injury to Mohamed Elneny meaning that he joins Thomas Partey on the sidelines. Sambi Lokonga filled in against Aston Villa, but beyond that Mikel Arteta’s side are thin on options.
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Asked about Partey after his side’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa, Arteta admitted he did not know how long the Ghanaian would be out for, telling the media:
“He’s going to be out for a while. I don’t know how long that period is going to be. It’s not the first injury he had in that area, so the recovery is more for the doctors to put the timeline and see how he evolves.”
Meanwhile Steven Gerrard admitted that Luiz, who is into the final year of his contract, could leave on deadline day, before news from the club emerged that he would not be sold.
“We’re not in a position where we need to lose our top players but at the same time Douglas has got a year to go and it is one of those really touchysituations where the club has to do what is best for the club, even if it is not necessarily best for me”, he admitted.
And Arsenal seem ready to test this resolve with a bid of up to £25m for the midfielder, according to the Sun.
Luiz was a second-half substitute as the two sides met at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday night, scoring the equaliser for his side directly from a corner.
And, while Villa maintain that he is not for sale, they risk losing him for nothing come next summer if they don’t accept an offer in the coming hours.
