Unai Emery decides against £23m Douglas Luiz option at Aston Villa | OneFootball

According to ExpressAndStar.com, Aston Villa have chosen not to activate their £23m option for Douglas Luiz, who will leave for a second time and return to Juventus for pre-season.

Luiz moved from Villa to Juventus for £42.5m two years ago, then rejoined on loan in January after injuries to Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans and John McGinn.

He struggled to make the desired impact, with Unai Emery instead turning to youngster Lamare Bogarde and defender Victor Lindelof for midfield cover during the run-in.

Villa sealed a top-four Premier League finish and won the Europa League as Luiz’s minutes remained limited.

A popular figure, he made more than 200 appearances between 2019 and 2024 and had wanted a permanent return after difficult spells with Juventus and on loan at Nottingham Forest in the first half of the season.

Emery has opted against the deal and Villa will now seek midfield reinforcements in the upcoming window.

Adding pace in attack is also on the agenda, with Newcastle winger Harvey Barnes on the shortlist, while Celta Vigo’s Oscar Mingueza is being targeted to cover right-sided centre-back and right-back.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com