Juventus head coach Luciano Spalletti could open the door to Douglas Luiz, who is expected to return to Turin after his loan spell at Aston Villa.
The Bianconeri spent €50 million to buy the Brazilian in the summer of 2024, including the values of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea, who joined the Villans as exchange pawns.
At the time, Luiz was considered one of the finest midfielders in the Premier League, especially after delivering 10 goals and as many assists in his final campaign at Villa Park.
But sadly for the Manchester City academy product, he endured a miserable campaign at Juventus, marred by recurring injuries, managerial changes, and personal problems.
Aston Villa unlikely to purchase Douglas Luiz
Last summer, Luiz was placed on the transfer list after being dropped from Igor Tudor’s plans. He ended up joining Nottingham Forest on loan, but things didn’t work out for him at City Ground, as he was lost in the shuffle amidst the early-season turmoil that engulfed the club.
The parties thus decided to terminate the player’s loan stint in January, paving the way for a return to Aston Villa, who signed him on loan with an option to buy for €25 million.
The Brazilian international has yet to regain his starting role in Unai Emery’s lineup, but he has been showing flashes of brilliance.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Giovanni Albanese, these promising signs could convince Spalletti to hand the midfielder a summer trial.
Luiz could rejoin Juventus in the summer
As the pink newspaper explains, Spalletti is hoping for important summer reinforcements in the middle of the park, but he’s keeping realistic expectations, realising that the club might lack the required resources to bolster every department in one transfer window.
Therefore, the Juventus boss is reportedly willing to test Luiz during pre-season, especially if the latter fails to attract suitable offers.
Unlike Tudor, Spalletti believes the Brazilian’s characteristics could be useful for his system, as the squad currently lacks a technical midfielder capable of advancing the play and picking up his teammates between the lines.
Luiz remains tied to Juventus with a contract valid until June 2029.