I know for a fact Arsenal want to sign Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz

Former Tottenham Hotspur and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson is adamant that Arsenal are keeping a close eye on Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz. The ex-Manchester City central player joined Villa in 2019 and has since shone in the West Midlands.

This season, the Brazilian has bagged himself ten goals and ten assists in 42 appearances. His form has helped Villa to rise up the ranks in the Premier League and they are now well on their way to securing Champions League football for next season.

However, reports have suggested that Unai Emery may need to balance the books in the summer in order to abide by the top flight's Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. In an interview with Football Insider, Robinson claimed that this threat means Villa could be forced to sell one of their prize assets and the Gunners are in prime position to capitalise. «Their books are worrying,» he explained.

«From a Villa point of view, if they don’t get Champions League football, the likes of Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz could want to leave. I know for a fact that Arsenal are looking at Luiz.

»If Villa were in a situation where they had to balance the books, Ramsey and Luiz bring you £100million between them at least – there are your books balanced. Fans won’t want to hear that though."

It is not out of the question that the North London club would be keen to bring in Luiz in the summer, considering two of their midfielders' contracts expire at the end of the campaign. Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are both set to leave the Emirates Stadium as things stand, while Thomas Partey's deal runs out in 2025.

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