'Main disappointment': £50m star linked with Aston Villa return after 'causing problems' at new club

Douglas Luiz’s blockbuster move to Juventus over the summer was widely covered and had a lot of buzz surrounding it. The midfielder attracted high volumes of attention during the 2023/24 season, with Premier League rivals Arsenal and Liverpool also registering their interest.

In the end, it was the Italian giants who swooped in for the 26-year-old. Luiz signed a five-year deal with Juventus following his €50 million (£42.35m) exit from Villa Park. However, despite the high profile transfer, it hasn’t been a dream move for the Brazilian.

Since his arrival in Turn, Luiz has started just two Serie A games and been hit with criticism for some of his performances. The midfielder gave away two penalties in consecutive games and is now out with an injury. Reports in Italy are now suggesting that Juventus could be looking to offload Luiz following his disappointing start to life at his new club.

Calciomercato has described Luiz as the ‘main disappointment’ of Juve’s summer business and the idea of replacing in January in now being floated. The report says that the problems with Luiz ‘began immediately’ and there was a feeling ‘right from the start’ that it would not be easy for him to slot into Thiago Motta's side.

“In fact, his appearances on the field were not memorable, far from it. Indeed, in some cases, his entry only caused problems, such as with Leipzig and Cagliari,” the report states. The games mentioned were the occasions that Luiz gave away spot-kicks — first against RB Leipzig in the Champions League last month, followed by the Serie A clash with Cagliari just four days later.

Luiz came on as a substitute in the second half against Cagliari and chopped down an opposition player inside the box. The penalty was dispatched in the 88th minute and Juventus were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw, despite holding onto their initial lead for more than 70 minutes.

As things stand, Luiz is far from a key player for Juve and according to the report, the club are considering their options ahead of the January window. The Old Lady reportedly ‘could consider’ pitching that he is sent back to Aston Villa on loan. The argument is that he would be returning to a familiar environment ‘where he is appreciated’ to hopefully get him back into a positive rhythm and playing regular football.

It also claims that Juve could ‘look for a plausible replacement’ for him in the same window, which could suggest that there is a bigger picture to be looked at. If Juve bring in a replacement for Luiz, the next step could be a push to cash in on him permanently.

So far, the Brazilian has made just nine appearances for Juventus and started only two of them. In his final season with Villa, he played in 53 games across all competitions and contributed 10 goals and 10 assists along the way as key player under Unai Emery.