Chelsea plotting move for Nottingham Forest’s Douglas Luiz | OneFootball

Chelsea ‘are considering a move to sign’ Douglas Luiz as the Blues look to bolster their midfield options for the second half of the campaign, per The Athletic.

For Chelsea, Luiz represents an attractive short-term solution. Taking him on loan to Stamford Bridge for the rest of the season makes sense.

The 26-year-old brings proven Premier League experience, tactical intelligence, and physical robustness.

His qualities could help ease the burden on Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez, who has been heavily relied upon since last season.

While Moises Caicedo remains a cornerstone of the midfield, injuries to Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo have significantly reduced Liam Rosenior’s rotation options.

Fernandez has been overworked across domestic and European competitions.

Luiz’s ability to operate as a deep-lying midfielder or in a more box-to-box role would offer valuable flexibility as Chelsea continue to compete on multiple fronts.

The Chelsea target is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest from Juventus but has struggled for regular minutes since arriving at the City Ground last August.

That limited involvement has opened the door for Chelsea to assess a deal that could suit all parties.

Luiz joined Juventus from Aston Villa last summer for an initial €50million (£42.3m), plus add-ons, but found opportunities hard to come by during his time in Turin.

A hamstring injury disrupted the former Manchester City man’s rhythm earlier this season.

Also, since Sean Dyche replaced Ange Postecoglou as Forest head coach in October, the midfielder has started only twice in the league.

Forest’s loan agreement includes an obligation to buy if Luiz reaches a set number of appearances, along with a €30 million option should he fall short.

With that threshold currently some distance away, Chelsea are monitoring the situation closely.

The Blues are still in the market for a centre-back and continue to negotiate for Frenchman Jeremy Jacquet, even though the wise choice would be to bring back Mamadou Sarr.