Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard reveals there have been no offers for Douglas Luiz
Aston Villa head coach Steven Gerrard has revealed that there has been no offers for Douglas Luiz and insists the Brazilian international is happy at the club.
Luiz has been heavily linked with a move away from Villa Park this summer, with the Daily Mail reporting that AC Milan had opened direct talks with him on 5 July.
However, that interest now seems to have faded and Steven Gerrard has told the Birmingham Mail that there have been no offers for him, and that the player is happy.
“He’s playing well, he’s working hard. We totally respect Douglas’ situation, I love him as a player,” he said.
“There’s nothing really to say as we haven’t had an offer and, at the moment, he has a year left. He’s been professional, he’s smiling and he’s enjoying it and we roll forward.”
What is the best approach?
Villa are in a tricky situation with Luiz now that he is entering the final year of his contract.
He has been a key player for Villa since arriving in 2019 and announcing himself with a long-range screamer on his home debut against Bournemouth.
Luiz was as important as anyone during their survival campaign in 2019/20, but he has not hit those same levels since.
The fanbase is torn on him, with some criticising his defensive ability and others believing he is simply being misused.
Villa now have a new defensive midfielder in Boubacar Kamara, which Villa can handle in one of two ways.
Either he takes Luiz’s spot in the team and Villa move him on, or they move the Brazilian further forward where he is more comfortable.
He is still a very talented midfielder and is a great passer of the ball, so he has a place in the Villa team and keeping him around makes sense.
However, Villa need to sort out a new contract for him in order to avoid losing him for free next year.
In other Aston Villa news, Villa Women have revealed their summer schedule.