Singled out by Dean Smith for some of his performances towards the end of last season as Aston Villa ensured Premier League survival, Douglas Luiz has formed an important part of the club’s impressive midfield.
The likes of John McGinn, Ross Barkley and Jack Grealish may well take more of the plaudits but the Brazilian provides an important defensive base for his teammates.
Such has been the impressive nature of his form recently, Eurosport claim he’s attracted transfer interest.
According to their report, Luiz is a target for former club Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola previously said he rated the 22-year-old and that Luiz would have stayed with City following his arrival in Europe from Vasco da Gama in 2017 had he been granted a work permit after spending time on loan with Girona.
In most defensive metrics, Luiz certainly outshines current holding midfielder Rodri as you can see from the graphic below.
City are thought to have inserted a clause in the deal which saw him move to Villa Park in last summer previously have been reported to be around £25m and, given his statistical pairing with Rodri, it’s not hard to see why they’d be keen.
For Villa, it would be a crushing blow. None of the club’s central midfield options make as many interceptions (4.92) as he does per Premier League game or win as many defensive duels won (0.82) over the same period.
While this season has been full of good news for Aston Villa, the departure of Luiz would be most unwelcome.