Douglas Luiz set for Arsenal transfer audition as Mikel Arteta sent clear Declan Rice message

Douglas Luiz can show Mikel Arteta what he is missing when Arsenal face Aston Villa on Saturday evening. The Brazilian midfielder has been heavily linked with a switch to the Emirates Stadium ahead of the January transfer window.

The Gunners missed out on Luiz's signing back in 2022 after Villa rejected multiple approaches from Arteta's side for the Brazilian's signature in the summer transfer window. The Villa midfielder went on to sign a new long-term contract with the club, but is now thought to be a target for Arsenal once again.

The 25-year-old would reportedly cost around £60million. Given that Arsenal spent more than £200million on incoming transfers over the summer and didn't raise as much through sales as hoped, it would be difficult for the Gunners to match that price tag in January.

A potentially cheaper alternative could be to recall one of their loan players. football.london understands, however, that there is no recall clause in Albert Sambi Lokonga's season-long move to Luton.

Declan Rice will have a huge task on his hands keeping Luiz and Co. quiet this weekend with Villa tending to pack the midfield against their opposition. Writing for the Premier League website, Adrian Clarke highlighted how Rice has the responsibility to control Arsenal's shape against Villa.

«To handle this excellent Aston Villa side, who use four central midfielders in a 4-2-2-2 formation, you must be strong inside the heart of the midfield,» Clarke said. «Even when Villa use a lopsided 4-5-1, their quartet of Boubacar Kamara, Douglas Luiz, McGinn and Youri Tielemans are always looking to create overloads down the middle.

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