£47.5m-rated Aston Villa star back on the radar of Premier League rivals who bid three times for him last year

Aston Villa returned to Premier League action at the weekend and enjoyed a strong 4-1 win over West Ham United to keep them tight with the pack at the top of the table. Douglas Luiz continued his impressive run of form with a brace, notching his tally to five goals in the league so far this season.

Luiz is showing off his threat in front of goal, despite playing the majority of the games this term in a more defensive midfield role. Naturally, he is attracting attention from other clubs and Arsenal have been re-linked with a move for the Brazilian.

According to 90min, Arsenal are looking to expand their engine room in the new year and they have Luiz on their radar. The Gunners have cast the net quite far out in their search ahead of the January window, with the likes of Liverpool target André from Fluminense also on their list. However, their interest in Luiz is long-standing and if they move for him this winter, it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve tried their luck.

Arsenal attempted to bring the 25-year-old to the Emirates back in 2022 and had as many as three bids knocked back by Villa. Their highest was a reported £25 million, and since then he has almost doubled in value, with Transfermarkt rating him at a nice €55 million (£47.5m).

Luiz’s current contract runs until 2026 but Villa could be looking at fending off interest for him in January. Arsenal are looking to cash in on some senior players, including Jorginho and Thomas Partey, which will leave spaces to fill in midfield. They already splashed a record £105 million on Declan Rice during the summer, so they definitely aren’t shy about forking out for valuable players.

Luiz has started every league match under Unai Emery this season, continuing his run as a key figure in this Villa squad. The club are said to be completely uninterested in entertaining any bids for the Brazilian in January, and he too is committed to the cause.