By Max Mallow
Juventus and Aston Villa are nearing a midfielder swap deal which would see USMNT player Weston McKennie and Brazil international Douglas Luiz change clubs.
Fabrizio Romano reported Tuesday that Juventus manager Thiago Motta has given the green light to swap McKennie for Douglas Luiz with the deal close to a final agreement. The deal would see Juventus send McKennie, Samule Iling Jr. and a €20m ($21.4m) fee to Aston Villa for Douglas Luiz. Personal terms for all players are now being discussed, according to Romano with the deal being classified as "more than close."
Weston McKennie was mentioned as a name to watch at the beginning of the summer. Tom Bogert originally reported that contract extension talks stalled after lifting Coppa Italia. The USMNT midfielder has been previously offered to Premier League clubs in the past, previously spending half a season on loan at Leeds United.
Douglas Luiz, on the other hand, has been linked with a move in the past few transfer windows. Premier League runner-up Arsenal has held interest in the player with no move coming to fruition. Now, it seems the Villa midfielder is heading to Italy as Unai Emery looks to refresh his midfield with Champions League coming up next season.
Both midfielders represent their countries this summer in Copa America. Brazil is one of the favorites for the tournament while USA needs a strong performance on home soil to build confidence with the World Cup coming in 2026.
Sky Sports reported earlier this month that Aston Villa was one of six clubs that would have to offload players to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules. The Athletic reported that owner Nassef Sawiris is considering legal action against the league calling PSR "anti-competitive."
Manchester City holds a 20% sell-on fee for Douglas Luiz in light of the move with questions surrounding how a swap deal would impact the clause.
READ THE TRANSFER RUMOURS OF THE PAST WEEK HERE
This article was originally published on 90min.com as Juventus and Aston Villa very close to midfielder swap deal - report.
