Arsenal to make ‘concrete’ offer for £60m ace soon despite ‘complicated’ situation

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Arsenal appear set to launch an official bid for Douglas Luiz.

According to journalist Rudy Galetti, writing in CaughtOffside, Arsenal are preparing to make a “concrete” move for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz in the coming weeks, though the Gunners have been warned that it will take an offer of at least £60 million to even bring the Midlands outfit to the negotiation table.

Galetti further highlighted that this is a “complicated” situation, as Luiz is a key player at Villa Park, and is highly valued by former Arsenal boss Unai Emery.

Given the price tag on the Brazilian midfielder, it will be a struggle for the north London club to get a deal done in the winter window. Arsenal only have a limited transfer budget at their disposal, as things stand.

However, Mikel Arteta may well be open to making some sales in order to fund a move for the Aston Villa man. It has recently been rumoured that the Spanish coach is open to cashing in on striker Eddie Nketiah. It has also been suggested that Emile Smith Rowe could be tempted by a move to Aston Villa, who have shown an interest in him in the past. This opens the door to the possibility of the Hale End academy graduate being used as a makeweight in a deal to bring Luiz to the Emirates Stadium.

Smith Rowe is a fan favourite at the Emirates Stadium, and plenty of supporters would love to see him fight his way back into Arteta’s regular starting XI. However, it is increasingly obvious that the midfielder is no longer a key figure in the manager’s plans. At this stage in his career he needs to be playing regularly. A move to pastures new may be the best thing for the 23-year-old.

Douglas Luiz lined up to be part of Arsenal midfield rebuild

Arsenal are considering other midfield targets, too. Former Wolves man Ruben Neves is thought to be on the Gunners’ shortlist, whilst Brazilian wonderkid Gabriel Moscardo is also on Arsenal’s radar.

Clearly, Arteta is keen to bolster his options in this part of the pitch. Considering Thomas Partey’s injury issues have now reached a stage where he can no longer be relied upon to be available for any extended run of matches, this desire makes sense.

A near-complete midfield overhaul is on the horizon for Arsenal. Partey, Jorginho, and Mohamed Elneny are all likely coming towards the end of their playing careers. As things stand, only Declan Rice represents the long-term future of the club in the middle of the park. Luiz would be a brilliant addition to the new-look midfield unit.