Liverpool could be set to do battle with Barcelona in the race for a coveted midfielder who’s been deemed superior to Declan Rice in the eyes of one former Red.
On Monday, Football Insider reported that the Anfield giants are prepared to vie with the LaLiga champions and Arsenal for Douglas Luiz, although any prospective swoop for the Aston Villa midfielder would take place in the summer rather than during the current transfer window.
It’s claimed that Unai Emery’s side ‘could face a fight to keep hold of’ the 25-year-old during the off-season, at which stage he’ll be into the final two years of his contract at Villa Park.
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Luiz has been the heartbeat of Villa’s surprise Premier League title challenge so far this season, with his tally of six goals and three assists helping them to sit just two points behind leaders Liverpool beyond the midway point of the campaign.
The Brazil midfielder is his club’s second highest-rated performer by WhoScored, with his rating of 7.16 bettered by only three players at Anfield.
Prior to the Villans’ win over Arsenal last month, former Reds winger Jermaine Pennant said that the 25-year-old ‘can do everything that Rice can do and better’ (talkSPORT) – a claim which was made only a few days after the £105m Gunners ace scored a stoppage time winner against Luton.
A valuation of £70m for Luiz has been quoted in some reports (GIVEMESPORT), a lofty figure for sure but not mind-blowing in this day and age for someone who’s been among the best players at a club perched so close to the Premier League summit.
At 25, the Brazilian hits that sweet spot of boasting plenty of high-level experience already while only coming into the peak of his career now, along with a proven knack for contributing plenty on the goalscoring front.
Despite FSG’s reputation for frugality, they’ve stumped up big money before for the signings that Jurgen Klopp has wanted, with Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker and Dominik Szoboszlai all costing £60m or more.
If the manager feels that Luiz would be the perfect addition to the Reds’ midfield, it’s not unthinkable that the club could go big on the Villa maestro this year.