Sold for €50m this summer, 26-year-old star may already be heading back to Aston Villa in January | OneFootball

Aston Villa made the surprise move of selling Douglas Luiz to Juventus this summer as part of a €50m deal, however, reports in Italy suggest that the Brazilian may already be heading back to Villa Park.

The midfielder played a crucial role in helping Aston Villa qualify for the Champions League this season during the 2023/24 campaign, scoring 10 goals and assisting a further 10 in all competitions for the Birmingham outfit.

His sale to Juventus this summer came as a surprise but given Villa’s need to raise money in order to comply with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations, the English club viewed Luiz as a player they could afford to let go.

Aston Villa received €50m from Juventus to part ways with the 26-year-old and to many, this was good business.

The opening phase of the current campaign has not gone to plan for Luiz at his new club as the Brazilian star has not been a starter with the Italian giants. The midfielder has received just 312 minutes of action across nine matches and it doesn’t look like the former Villa star will be getting into Thiago Motta’s team anytime soon.

This has led to everyone considering Luiz’s future and reports in Italy state that the player could return to Villa Park in January.

Could Douglas Luiz leave Juventus already? (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Juventus star Douglas Luiz linked with Aston Villa return

Luiz is currently recovering from a muscle injury and was left out of the squad for Juventus’ game against Udinese at the weekend. However, the feeling in Italy is that the Brazilian was fit for the game but he wasn’t called up because Thiago Motta doesn’t trust him, reports Calciomercato.

The 26-year-old was also an unused substitute for the Serie A giants’ Champions League clash with Lille on Tuesday and the doubts around the midfielder related to his tactical suitability.

Luiz may not get many minutes over the coming weeks to make the improvements Juventus want to see and as a result, the report suggests the former Aston Villa star could return to Birmingham in January on loan to help him regain some confidence.

Juve are evaluating the player’s situation and a return to Villa would be a welcome surprise for the fans of the Birmingham club.