Liverpool eye first £100m signing that’ll haunt Aston Villa and shatter Arsenal dream
Liverpool have entered the race for a £100m-rated player who’ll complete Jurgen Klopp’s midfield rebuild, and the potentially record-shattering move would land bitter blows on Arsenal and Aston Villa, per a report.
If all the add-ons in his contract are met, Darwin Nunez will become Liverpool’s most expensive ever buy at £85m. However, according to Football Insider, the Reds are formulating plans to set a new record and break the £100m barrier for the first time in the club’s history.
FI state Liverpool have entered the race to sign Aston Villa ace, Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian has been among the Premier League’s finest midfielders this term and is widely regarded as being the best midfielder outside of the traditional ‘big six’.
The Brazil international, 25, has scored seven goals and provided six assists across all competitions this season. The bulk of his goals have come from the penalty spot, though it’s his calmness on the ball, ability to dictate the play and steely determination in the tackle that have become his trademarks.
Luiz cost Aston Villa £15m when signed from Manchester City back in 2019. It didn’t take long before he realised his true potential at Villa Park and Arsenal came knocking on three separate occasions.
The Gunners lodged three bids for Luiz back in the summer window of 2022. The highest, according to Sky Sports, totalled £25m.
However, Villa stood firm and Luiz did not push to leave. Instead, the midfielder penned fresh terms with Villa in October of 2022 and is now under contract until 2026.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed admiration for Luiz continues to grow in north London and the player is Mikel Arteta’s dream midfield buy.
Arsenal are expected to push once again to sign Luiz come the summer when in a healthier financial position and able to attack the market. But per FI, they’ll now face stiff competition from Liverpool.
Luiz can complete Klopp’s midfield rebuild
Jurgen Klopp’s side totally revamped their midfield over the summer, though there was always a sense the job was unfinished.
Wataru Endo was the only holding midfielder among the quartet of arrivals and already the wrong side of 30, he is not the long-term answer.
Liverpool bid for Romeo Lavia and even saw a £110m bid for Moises Caicedo accepted. Ultimately, both players elected to join Chelsea.
Signing Luiz could be the final piece in Liverpool’s midfield puzzle. Overseeing the blockbuster coup would almost certainly require a club-record bid given Villa value Luiz at the £100m mark.
The potential move would also have the added benefits for Liverpool of depriving Arsenal of their dream target and halting Villa’s quest to become a regular title challenger.
Barcelona also hold admiration for Luiz, though it’s unlikely they can compete with the Premier League giants given the nine-figure valuation.
Villa would be reluctant in the extreme to part ways with such an accomplished performer. However, one high profile sale can and often does turn out to benefit a club if the money is reinvested wisely.
Indeed, Villa are where they are now thanks in part to strengthening their squad after selling Jack Grealish for £100m.
Looking further back, Liverpool’s Champions League success in 2019 and Premier League triumph in 2020 owe much to signing Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk with the money received from selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona.
