Nottingham Forest already know Douglas Luiz fate as sources reveal midfielder’s transfer plans | OneFootball

Nottingham Forest seem unlikely to take up their purchase option on Douglas Luiz, though sources believe the player is refusing to close down his Premier League transfer plans, with the on-loan Juventus man ready to look for an alternative long-term move.

Luiz was signed on loan from Juventus at the start of the season and was expected to become a key player under Ange Postecoglou. After a disappointing spell in Italy with the Bianconerri, the move back to the Midlands was expected to see the 27-year-old pick up where he left off, having previously shone with Aston Villa.

However, the switch has not worked out from a number of angles, with Postecoglou being axed from the job and Luiz struggling to make an impact – partly due to injury problems.

Indeed, since moving to Nottingham Forest, Luiz has only racked up 194 minutes of action in the Premier League, comprising just five appearances.

And while he is now back fit and keen to make an impression, sources can reveal he is not a firm part of Sean Dyche’s plans, and the manager is far from convinced at this stage on whether to take up that option to sign him.

Luiz made a five-minute appearance against Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, but is behind both Elliot Anderson and Ibrahim Sangare in the midfield pecking order.

He faces a big task in turning that situation around, but he will get opportunities to make an impact in the coming weeks as Ryan Yates has an injury and Sangare is heading to the Africa Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast.

Luiz can use the moment to win over Dyche, and we understand the next four to six weeks will be crucial in determining his future. As it stands, the prospect of triggering a €25million (£22m, $29.4m) transfer at the end of the season is deemed unlikely as it stands.

Capped 18 times by Brazil, the capture of Luiz was seen as a real coup by Forest last summer. Now, less than six months later, serious doubts have been cast over his future at the City Ground and with reports from Italy also backing up claims that Dyche is not convinced by the player and is likely to send him back to Juve at the season’s end.

To that end, Italian journalist Mirko Di Natale claims Dyche does not feel Luiz ‘suits his style’, stating that ‘a permanent transfer is in doubt’.

Indeed, we understand that Dyche is ready to use the January window to search for alternative midfielders to help cover Sangare’s absence, potentially pushing Luiz even further down the order.

Luiz’s camp are already aware of the situation that is unfolding, though, and we understand that, if Forest do not take up the option, Luiz will still aim to find a new home in the Premier League as he believes he can have an impact similar to the one he had at Aston Villa, before he moved to Turin.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano has provided a strong update on Anderson’s future amid Manchester United’s ongoing pursuit of the England star and having named Ruben Amorim’s priority midfield target from the former Newcastle man, Palace’s Adam Wharton and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba.

Any mid-season deal, though, will not come cheap, with one report last week revealing exactly how much the Tricky Trees would demand to sanction a January sale of their midfield star to Old Trafford.

He’s not the only Forest star attracting attention, either. That’s after the Daily Mail claimed one of the club’s most prominent stars will look to leave the City Ground next summer, with Chelsea and Arsenal poised to lock horns over a colossal £70m deal.