Aston Villa have already made £80m transfer call amid Arsenal interest

Aston Villa have already decided star midfielder Douglas Luiz isn't for sale this January amid intense interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal, Birmingham World understands. Not only is the Brazilian a vital player in Unai Emery's system, but he's also very happy at the club and has no rush to depart.

Emery wouldn't admit it but Arsenal are in the same fight as Villa – for the Premier League title and, failing that, Champions League qualification. Losing Luiz to the North London outfit would worsen Villa and strengthen one of their direct rivals, making the transfer even more of a no-go.

It has been an extraordinary start to the 2023/24 campaign for the men in claret and blue, who are ahead of the Gunners by two points after 20 matches. Luiz has been one of the top two or three performers in helping the Villans to an equal league-high of 13 wins so far.

Luiz and Emery have already addressed Arsenal speculation

The Brazil international is flattered by Arsenal's interest but is dedicated to his current club. "I am very happy to hear the stories but I am here at Aston Villa. My focus is totally here," Luiz told Sky Sports in December. "I don't spend a lot of time looking at the stories. I see them, but I don't focus on that and I'm not looking at it every day. My head is here at Aston Villa," Luiz said.

Emery has already spoken about the situation, too. "Douglas is playing very good and he improves a lot. His commitment is amazing. I am very happy with him and I want to keep him, of course. I think he’s happy with us, his commitment with his national team and his performances like today are amazing, fantastic. I want him," Emery said on November 26.

What is Luiz's valuation?

There isn't a particular price tag Villa are considering due to their not-for-sale stance, but Luiz's transfer value is probably somewhere in the region of £80 million. Transfermarkt values the 25-year-old at €60 million (£51.9 million) but he's bound to have increased that figure recently.

The best way of working out his rough monetary worth is by looking at major transfers elsewhere in the Premier League in the last 12 months. Declan Rice to Arsenal was £105 million, whereas Moises Caicedo to Chelsea was £115 million. Luiz isn't too far behind that level, many would argue.