Man City pondering January reunion with former midfielder | OneFootball

Manchester City's January squad revamp could lead to a loan move for former midfielder Douglas Luiz, according to reports.

The Premier League champions hit top form in Sunday's 6-0 win over Ipswich Town, suggesting their recent struggles may be a thing of the past.

City leapt back into the top four thanks to that victory, with ensuring qualification for next season's Champions League now seen as the primary objective as Liverpool are 12 points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand.

Injuries to a number of key players have disrupted City's season, leading to the club's worst-ever run of results under Guardiola. The main absence has been in central midfield, where Ballon d'Or winner Rodri has been missing since tearing his ACL in September - an injury that will rule the Spaniard out for the remainder of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Athletic report that City are considering boosting their squad with a January signing, potentially looking in the direction of Luiz, who spent two years at the Etihad Stadium before joining Aston Villa in 2019.

Douglas Luiz spent five years at Aston Villa / James Baylis - AMA/GettyImages

The Brazilian quickly became one of Villa's most important players, playing 175 Premier League games in five seasons, and he seemingly took the next step in his career by moving to Juventus last summer. But his switch to Turin, which came about because of Villa's need to comply with Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules, has not worked out.

Luiz could be allowed to leave Juventus on loan, though a move may become complicated over whether or not an obligation to buy is included. City would prefer a straight loan, it is reported, whereas Juventus would want to guarantee a future sale.

City have committed to strengthening Guardiola's squad in January and are closing on three big-money signings. Defensive duo Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis are set to join from Lens and Palmeiras respectively, while a near £70m deal is close to being done for Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush, who has scored 15 goals in the Bundesliga this season.