‘Interest has ended’: Journalist says Arsenal are now no longer interested in signing ‘unbelievable’ player
Ryan Taylor of The Express shed some light on Arsenal‘s stance on signing Douglas Luiz this month after missing out on him last summer.
The Gunners were desperate for a new midfielder at the end of the summer transfer window after Mohamed Elneny suffered an injury that ruled him out for a few months.
Aston Villa star Luiz became their top target, but a move did not materialise in the end.
Arsenal are no longer interested in signing Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz
Even though Luiz stayed put at Villa Park, rumours linking him to Arsenal did not stop even after the transfer window shut.
Simon Phillips told Give Me Sport in September that Luiz will end up joining Arsenal as a free agent in the summer of 2023, while The Sun claimed at the end of the same month that the Gunners will make a move for him in January.
The Brazilian, however, decided to extend his contract in October.
That still didn’t stop the rumours as journalist Dean Jones said a little over a month ago that Arsenal could well revive their interest in Luiz in the winter window.
That, however, doesn’t look like it will happen as Taylor has revealed that the Gunners’ interest in the ‘unbelievable‘ Brazilian has ‘ended’.
He said in a video on his YouTube channel: “In the summer, Arsenal made a late move for Douglas Luiz. Their interest has now ended because his contract has been extended at Aston Villa.
“That was a key factor behind Arsenal’s interest – Villa were under pressure to consider offers because Douglas Luiz was in the final 12 months of his contract.
Our View:
Arsenal still do need a new midfielder, but their focus at this moment in time lies elsewhere.
The Gunners are pushing hard to sign Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk. Mikel Arteta is really keen to bring him in, while the 21-year-old is desperate to become an Arsenal player as well.
However, negotiations with Shakhtar are proving to be more difficult than expected, and that is the reason why a deal hasn’t been wrapped up at this moment in time.
If and when that’s done, Arsenal could well consider bringing in a new midfielder, but if Taylor is to be believed, it won’t be Luiz.
