As things stand, Douglas Luiz seems destined to stay at Aston Villa, but Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal is still interested in signing the Brazilian before the summer transfer window opens.
The Brazil international has been one of the Premier League’s best midfielders so far this season and his form has attracted significant transfer interest, most notably from Arsenal and Spanish giants Barcelona.
The Gunners considered making a bid for Luiz in the middle of the season, but they rejected it due to Villa’s outrageous €128 million asking price, as FootballTransfers exclusively revealed.
Luiz, 25, is expected to be on Arsenal’s radar this summer. Arteta’s team is looking for another central midfield player due to concerns about Thomas Partey’s future, and Luiz is their top target. Luiz has seven goals and four assists in 25 league games this season.
Although Arsenal’s willingness to meet Villa’s asking price is yet unknown, Luiz may be leaving this summer.
At the end of the 2023–24 campaign, if Unai Emery loses the Brazilian, he ought to think about moving to Sheffield United’s Gustavo Hamer.
Though signing Hamer would be a wise move from Villa, a trade deal with Arsenal for Albert Sambi Lokonga would also be a clever decision, especially after his performance against Manchester United.
After a standout season with Championship side Coventry City, the 26-year-old Hamer moved to Sheffield United for €17.3 million last summer.
Along with Viktor Gyokeres, who is currently famous for Sporting CP, the Dutch midfielder was Coventry’s most vital player last season and was crucial to their march to the play-off final.
In his final Championship season for Coventry, Hamer finished with 11 goals and 10 assists from center midfield. He has carried over that record into the Premier League.
Sheffield United’s midfield trio of Vinicius Souza, James McAtee, and Hamer has played well in spite of the team’s difficulties. Because of his tenure at Manchester City, McAtee has garnered a lot of praise, but Hamer has quietly gone unnoticed.
Despite playing in central midfield, Ollie McBurnie is the only Sheffield United player with more goal contributions in 2023–24 than the Dutchman, who has two goals and three assists in the Premier League this season.
Due of Sheffield United’s lack of possession this season, Hamer hasn’t had many opportunities to show off his skill with the ball, but he has flourished in spite of their difficulties.
In addition to being an incredible long-distance shooter, he also handles pressure well and is a dynamic midfield player.
Although Hamer’s quality is evident to all, Chris Wilder’s team has had a difficult season thus far. He is simply too good for a relegation battle in the English premier league.
Aston Villa is one of the Premier League teams that should be all over Hamer ifis relegated this season, especially if Luiz leaves for Arsenal.
