da brdice： Pep Guardiola’s comments about Douglas Luiz could be bad news for Aston Villa’s hopes of keeping the Brazilian midfielder.
What's the story?
da aposte e ganhe： The Brazil international made the move from Manchester down to Villa this summer, but reports are already claiming the Premier League leaders may want to use the buyback clause inserted into his deal.
After City beat Villa 2-1 on Wednesday, Guardiola heaped praise on Luiz, saying he’s a “clever” player, as per a report from Manchester Evening News. The former Barcelona boss revealed his admiration for Luiz not only as a player but as a person, calling him a “lovely guy” while also admitting he would have played more for City if not for work permit issues.
Pep even went on to say there are people working behind the scenes at City on targeting players such as Luiz, although he stopped short of explicitly saying they will exercise the buy back option just yet.
Dean Smith will be worried
Since joining from City, Luiz has certainly established himself as a key player in the centre of the park, starting 27 times in the league this campaign.
The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans said he’s “an absolute joy to watch” and “looks like an absolute star”, albeit one who Villa will now have to worry about losing. The £50,000-a-week midfielder is often deployed next to John McGinn, but now the emergence of Marvelous Nakamba in the holding role has seen both the Brazilian and Scot given license to venture forwards more.
Regardless of what position he plays, losing him this summer would be a major blow with it so clear how highly Smith and the club rate him. The fact that City have a buy-back clause and their superstar manager is such a big fan of the player immediately makes life difficult for Villa, given his old employers can effectively bypass any protracted negotiations should the player be convinced of a move.
Meanwhile, Villa must finally unleash this starlet after Matty Cash’s red card…