Douglas Luiz looks set to secure a move away from Aston Villa this summer in a move that has been labelled ‘bizarre’ by a transfer reporter.
Aston Villa‘s need to raise funds this summer is no secret, with their concerns regarding Premier League profit and sustainability regulations (PSR) seeing a number of players linked with a move away.
Even after Manager Unai Emery guided the club to a Champions League spot for next season, an injection of cash is required to avoid a PSR breach.
The club’s president of footballing operations, Monchi, is going to have his work cut out this transfer window, with the financial pressures competing against the need to provide Emery with the players he needs to be successful.
Colombian striker Jhon Duran could be sold, with Chelsea interested in a deal for the striker, but Douglas Luiz seems the most likely high-profile departure.
Structure of Douglas Luiz transfer sees Aston Villa receive just £16 million
With the need for sales to balance the books before being able to improve the squad ahead of the Champions League it is perhaps understandable Luiz has been identified as a player that could be flogged.
The 26-year-old is one of Villa’s most valuable asset with a fee of around £50 million touted for the Brazilian and Emery may feel he can replace his impact for a fraction of that cost.
Given the need for money to come in as quickly as possible, it is surprising that the latest news is that Villa are set to agree to a deal that see Luiz go to Juventus and receive Weston McKennie, Samuel Iling-Junior and £16 million in return.
The obvious benefit to this transfer is that Villa immediately get two players who can help add depth and quality to their squad ahead of competing with Europe’s elite.
However, the fact that an injection of funds is so crucial prior to the 30th June PSR deadline mean it is a surprise they would agree to a deal for Luiz that is not purely cash-based.
Dean Jones struggling to understand ‘bizarre’ Luiz deal
Football journalist and transfer expert Dean Jones is certainly struggling to understand the structure of the deal.
Speaking on his Patreon, Jones said: “Douglas Luiz is bizarre. You’re talking about a deal here that will see Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior come to the Premier League to join Aston Villa and Douglas Luiz go the other way and the cash involved could be under €20m, and that is so low.
“It all feels strange to me, I struggle to understand why Douglas Luiz would be going for such little money and why no Premier League clubs are in for him. Arsenal definitely looked at him and Man United should be looking at him.
“Perhaps one of the reasons I was told that if he was to stay in the Premier League that amount would be higher, they don’t want him to stay in the Premier League, and if that was the case Arsenal would have to pay £60m or something. It’s all very strange over at Aston Villa as they prepare for Champions League football.”
With Villa having to be clever with their business this summer, it could be that getting the £16 million associated with the player-plus-cash swap deal as soon as possible is more important that securing a cash only deal later in the summer.
This deal could well be the perfect example of the challenges that come with both Premier League and UEFA spending rules and Villa are desperate to avoid a breach of either.
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