Aston Villa crushed as Brazilian star ‘ready’ to join Chelsea ‘with conviction’ and snub Unai Emery ‘press’ | OneFootball

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery’s hopes of bringing Douglas Luiz to Villa Park in the January transfer window are well and truly over, with a second source claiming that the midfielder is ready to terminate his loan deal with Nottingham Forest and move to Chelsea and play under Liam Rosenior instead.

TEAMtalk’s transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, reported on January 22 that Chelsea had made fresh enquiries about signing Luiz in the January transfer window. The Brazilian midfielder joined Nottingham Forest on loan from Juventus in the summer of 2025, but the Tricky Trees are prepared to let him leave in the middle of the season, with manager Sean Dyche not having him as a prominent figure in his plans.

Sources have told us that Aston Villa, one of Luiz’s former clubs, are also monitoring the situation of the 27-year-old, who has been able to make just five starts in the Premier League for Forest so far this season.

Juventus are ready to offload Luiz for good this month or send him out on loan again, if Forest decide against keeping him at the City Ground for the second half of the season.

Brazilian journalist Jorge Nicola reported this week that Luiz has decided to move to Chelsea.

Nicola, who has almost 400,000 followers on X, wrote on the platform at 4:50pm on January 22: “Douglas Luiz will play on loan at Chelsea until mid-year.

“People close to the midfielder guarantee that the deal is sealed.”

It has now been reported in TuttoSport that Luiz is ready to move to Chelsea and turn down the chance to play for Villa.

The Turin-based sports newspaper has opened its report on the midfielder by stating: “London Calling and Douglas Luiz is ready to say ‘yes’ to Chelsea’s call. And with conviction, too”.

The report has claimed that Villa manager Unai Emery ‘would immediately press him back to Aston Villa’, with Vasco da Gama and Ajax also making enquiries about the former Manchester City man.

However, Chelsea have ‘began discussions’ with Luiz’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, and are ‘destined to crush the competition and capable of satisfying everyone’.

The London club have also made contact with Juventus over signing Luiz on a loan deal, with an option to make it permanent at the end of the season.

With Chelsea now pressing ahead in their quest to sign Luiz, and the player himself ready to move to Stamford Bridge, Villa’s chances of a January deal for the Brazilian appear to be over.

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Meanwhile, sources have told our transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, that Aston Villa are on the verge of bringing one of their former strikers back to Villa Park.