Romano: Aston Villa informed Juventus of Douglas Luiz decision | OneFootball

Aston Villa have opted against exercising their option to buy Douglas Luiz from Juventus, reveals Fabrizio Romano.

The Brazilian had a memorable five-year spell with the Villans before signing for the Bianconeri in July 2024 on a deal worth €50 million.

Between injuries, poor performances, managerial changes, and personal issues, the midfielder endured a miserable campaign in Turin, prompting a return to the Premier League.

Last August, Luiz joined Nottingham Forest on loan, but found little success at the City Ground. In January, he returned to Aston Villa on loan with an option to buy for €25 million.

Aston Villa send Douglas Luiz back to Juventus

In his second stint at Villa Park, the Brazilian international displayed some flashes of brilliance, but he wasn’t able to regain his starting role in Unai Emery’s starting lineup.

So while the decision has been in the air for some time, Juventus have been directly informed of Aston Villa’s decision to waive their option to buy the 28-year-old.

“Aston Villa have informed Juventus that they won’t purchase the player, and therefore they’re missing out on €25 million or so,” said Romano on his Italian YouTube channel as transcribed by TuttoJuve.

“Let’s say that Juve were somewhat expecting it, but they were hoping that the player still has an excellent relationship with Unai Emery, even though he wasn’t a key player in the Europa League victory or Champions League qualification.

“Perhaps they were hoping that Aston Villa might try to renegotiate. Today, that’s not the case. Douglas is returning to Juventus, so we’ll see what Spalletti and the management decide to do about him and other players.”

Will Luiz have a second Juventus chance

In recent days, it has been revealed that Luiz is a profile that intrigues Luciano Spalletti, who feels that the Manchester City youth product can add quality in the middle of the park.

The 67-year-old is an expert at transforming technical midfielders into deep-lying playmakers, as illustrated by the career trajectories of David Pizarro, Marcelo Brozovic, and Stanislav Lobotka.

Neverthless, Juventus CEO Damien Comolli prefers to cash in on one of Cristiano Giuntoli’s marquee signings, so it remains to be seen if the player will be granted a second opportunity or Continassa or be shown the door once more.