‘I can confirm’: Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal ‘really, really want’ to sign £60m star in January

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Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Arsenal want to sign Douglas Luiz in January, but it’s not an easy deal to complete.

The Gunners need a new midfielder in the winter window. Thomas Partey‘s injury issues make him unreliable, and there is also speculation that he could leave. Luiz has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates to replace the Ghanaian.

Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal ‘really, really want’ to sign Douglas Luiz

It is no secret at this point that Arsenal like Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz.

The Brazilian was a target for us on deadline day in last year’s summer transfer window. We really pushed to sign him, but Villa stood firm and refused to let him go.

Luiz has progressed brilliantly at Villa Park over the last year. His game has gone to a whole new level under ex-Arsenal boss Unai Emery, and it’s only natural that our interest still remains.

Romano claimed last week that Mikel Arteta has made Luiz Arsenal’s top January target. The journalist has backed his own claim now and stressed that the Gunners really want to sign him. However, it’s a very difficult deal to pull off as Villa value him at a minimum of £60 million.

He told CaughtOffside: “I mentioned the name of Douglas Luiz last week as the top target for Arsenal, and I can confirm guys that Arsenal really, really want and appreciate Douglas Luiz.

“He’s a player they’ve had on their list for more than two years, and Arsenal consider him the perfect midfielder for their way of playing, for his intensity and for the quality he can bring. So many different factors make him top of the list for Arsenal now.

“The problem remains that Aston Villa have no intention to let him go in January, so it’s going to be really difficult.”

A look at Douglas Luiz’s stats this season

Douglas Luiz has played 12 games for Aston Villa in the Premier League this season, and he has five goals and an assist to his name so far, which is excellent for a defensive midfielder.

The Brazilian averages 76.2 touches of the ball per game and has maintained a passing accuracy of 88 per cent. He also makes 2.4 tackles and wins 4.9 duels per 90 minutes (SofaScore).

Luiz checks many boxes for Mikel Arteta. He’s excellent on the ball, very good off it and is great in set-pieces too. He can score goals from distance as well, which is an added bonus.

It’s not a shock at all to learn that Arsenal are very keen to sign Luiz in January, but this will be an extremely difficult deal to complete.