Shock Aston Villa reunion ON as Nott’m Forest to replace one Serie A star with another | OneFootball

TEAMtalk understands Nottingham Forest are prepared to let Douglas Luiz leave the City Ground – and the Brazilian midfielder could be set for a swift return to another Premier League club.

Chelsea have made fresh enquiries about Luiz, a player they have held long-standing interest in, but we can reveal they are not alone.

Former club Aston Villa are among those monitoring the situation closely, with a reunion firmly on the cards for a player who made 204 appearances at Villa Park before leaving to join Juventus in a €50million deal in the summer of 2024.

Juve – who remain Luiz’s parent club – are happy for the player to move on, opening the door for a permanent switch away from Turin.

Meanwhile, as TEAMtalk previously reported, Vasco da Gama remain keen to lure Luiz back to Brazil, adding another intriguing twist to the saga.

With Juventus ready to cash in and multiple suitors lining up, Luiz’s future looks set to dominate the headlines in the coming weeks.

Forest, for their part, are already making their own plans and are bringing in another Serie A loan with Napoli striker Lorenzo Lucca arriving on loan with an option worth £35m.

As for Villa’s interest in a return for Luiz, fans will be well aware of his comments upon his exit, when he spoke about being unable to refuse a move to a ‘big club’.

“Why did I leave the Premier League? Any player in the world would have wanted to have an experience at Juventus, I am no different,” he told Tuttosport. “It doesn’t depend so much on the championship, but rather on the size of the club. It’s a nice thing to be able to tell my family, once I retire, that I played for Juve.

“I had a very positive impression, Juventus is a huge club and many great players have passed through this team. This convinced me to come here. Any player would have wanted to have this opportunity. As soon as I heard about Juve’s proposal, I immediately expressed my interest to the agents and we worked to conclude everything positively.”

Aston Villa have advanced towards the signing of Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace, while they also hold interest in Manchester City striker Omar Marmoush, according to reports.

Elsewhere, Aston Villa are once again at risk of losing goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, sources confirm, with a European giant having held talks with his representatives, as Unai Emery’s stance is revealed.

Finally, three players could incredibly return to Aston Villa in the same transfer window, while Unai Emery’s side are reportedly challenging Manchester United for the signing of an AC Milan star.