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‘I see them’… £60m player suggests he’s ‘very happy’ after being linked with Arsenal move recently
It’s not been a very well kept secret that both Mikel Arteta and Arsenal would like to recruit a midfielder to strengthen their squad.
And ahead of the January transfer window, Arsenal have now been linked with an audacious move.
Arteta’s side are said to be long term admirers of Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, a player Arsenal have followed for years.
And although a move looks incredibly hard for the club to achieve mid-season or beyond, Luiz has now delivered a small bit of encouragement.
Speaking to , the Brazilian insisted that he was focused on his football at Villa, but was glad to hear of recent interest.
: “I’m very happy to hear the stories but I’m here at Aston Villa.
“My focus is totally here. I don’t spend a lot of time looking at stories. I see them, but I don’t focus on that and I’m not looking at it every day. My head is here at Villa.”
And Arsenal fans will undoubtedly be reading into those words.
Although Luiz appears to slightly backtrack on his first reaction, he does admit that he’s enjoying the speculation.
And given how strong their interest seems, Arsenal may see that as a green light.
Mikel Arteta would surely love to have Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz at Arsenal
Either way, it does seem that any potential move would have to wait for until the summer.
Arsenal will be wary of Financial Fair Play restrictions right now, ones that may see them offload some personnel.
But with that considered, the club do seem unlikely to sanction any big deals in January.
And although a £60m fee is often mentioned, it seems unlikely that Villa would entertain that price.
Perhaps Unai Emery’s side would even be looking towards a Declan Rice type-fee, something that may be considered too far.
There will always be a premium when taking top talent from a Premier League rival, but Arsenal have been reluctant to overpay in the past.
And whilst some pundits have debated the value of one of their deals in the summer, Arsenal have been working astutely.
Perhaps some at Arsenal may one day hope that Luiz pushes for a move, a midfielder who would be brilliant in Arteta’s side.
But for now, a quiet January does seem most likely.