Arsenal set to make approach for 24-year-old Premier League midfield star

Arsenal are preparing to return for Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz during the winter transfer window.

The North London giants attempted to secure the services of the Brazilian in the latter stages of the summer market, with the team believed to have had at least two offers turned down, with their final bid believed to be in the region of £25m.

Aston Villa are believed to have made it clear that they would not sell for under £30m, which is a figure that the North London outfit were not prepared to meet.

Arsenal head-coach Mikel Arteta revealed late in the window that the injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny led to a late scramble for a new playmaker.

“We had a lot of things still to do in the squad. The club has done a phenomenal job of bringing in players that we wanted,” Arteta told reporters.

“Unfortunately, in the last 72 hours, Thomas [Partey] and Mohamed [Elneny] got injured, and we had to react in the market. We tried, and at the end of the day, we have to bring in the players we feel are right, but we didn’t manage to do it.”

Aston Villa head-coach Steven Gerrard, meanwhile, said at the end of the transfer window that he had no concerns over the player’s attitude moving forward.

“Knowing the boy and the player, I doubt it (whether Luiz would lose focus). I’ve got confidence he’ll understand the situation and the club’s decision that we didn’t want to lose a very important player and a top player so late on in the window,” Gerrard told reporters.

“From a personal point of view, I very much back the club’s decision and stance on that. I spoke to Dougie face-to-face yesterday, he understood where it was at and the position that the club was in, and he very much respects the decision.

“Hopefully, it’ll calm down in the hours and days coming, and he’ll be fine moving forward.”