Roma do not want to raise their offer for Granit Xhaka and are canvassing the market for possible alternatives. Douglas Luiz is at the top of their short-list, and they have been tracking him for weeks. They would start bidding for the Aston Villa midfielder if they could not reach agreement with Arsenal, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.
The Giallorossi proposed €14/15M for the Swiss international, but the Gunners rebuffed them. They are counting on the player’s desire to move to the Italian Capital and be coached by José Mourinho. He remains their top choice for the role, but they will not wait too long to get out of the impasse.
Douglas Luiz has landed on Roma radar thanks to his strong performances in the past season. After breaking out at Vasco da Gama, Manchester City brought him to Europe. He spent two years on loan to Girona. Aston Villa signed him for €16.8M in 2019, and he accumulated 69 appearances in two campaigns in Birmingham.
Roma would likely be willing to spend a little more for Douglas Luiz than for Xhaka since he is six years younger. However, they will stop short of Villans’ €20M+ price tag. Their new midfielder would take Amadou Diawara’s spot on the roster. Moreover, Gonzalo Villar has received interest from Spain and England. His sale would be highly profitable for the club since they paid just €4M to acquire him from Elche. The new gaffer will evaluate the Spanish youngster during the preseason, Corriere dello Sport informs.