Aston Villa ace emerges on radar of European giants as 'alternative' transfer target

Aston Villa have Champions League football to look forward to in the next campaign. They finished 4th in the Premier League table in this past term behind Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

The Midlands outfit have the chance to bolster their ranks in the upcoming transfer window. With that in mind, here is a look at some of the latest news and rumours coming out of the club...

Midfielder latest

Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has emerged on the radar of Juventus this summer as an ‘alternative’ option for if Adrien Rabiot leaves, according to a report by Italian news outlet Gazzetta dello Sport via Calcio Mercato. The Brazil international, who has 13 caps under his belt so far in his career, has been a key player at Villa Park since moving there back in 2019.

He moved to England in 2017 to join Manchester City from Vasco de Gama but never made a senior appearance for Pep Guardiola’s side. Instead, he had a loan spell away from the Etihad Stadium in Spain with Girona to get some game time under his belt.

The Villans then snapped him up five years ago and he hasn’t looked back since. He has made 204 appearances in all competitions for them to date, chipping in with 22 goals.

Luiz is grateful for the loyalty Aston Villa have showed to him over recent times and said earlier this year: "I’m grateful to Villa for giving me the chance to play in the Premier League and every time I get on the pitch I want to show how grateful I am. The season (2023/24) has been great for us, we’ve played great football and we’re confident to show our game model and in the squad we believe we can win this game and go through to the final."

Former number two agrees League Two switch

Former Aston Villa assistant manager Stephen Clemence is the new manager of Barrow in League Two. The Bluebirds have been in the hunt for a new boss following their decision to part ways with Pete Wild after they narrowly missed out on the play-offs on the final day.

Clemence, who is 46-years-old, has agreed to take over the Cumbrian outfit. He was sacked by Gillingham last month after they finished last term in 12th position in the fourth tier and is now set for a swift return to the dugout with one of their league rivals.

The Liverpool-born man worked under Steve Bruce at Villa Park. He has also had spells as his number two at Sunderland, Hull City, Sheffield Wednesday, West Brom and Newcastle United in the past before the Gills handed his first managerial role in November last year but his stint in Kent didn’t work out.

As a player, Clemence was a midfielder for the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Birmingham City and Leicester City and played over 250 games before hanging up his boots in 2010. His father is former Liverpool, Spurs and England goalkeeper Ray Clemence.