Unai Emery must make key Aston Villa transfer decision as huge ‘swap deal’ prepared by Barcelona

Barcelona are preparing a transfer offer for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, according to multiple reports. The La Liga giants are hoping that including one of their own players in a deal could make the switch possible, maybe even as soon as in the January window.

Luiz, who has made 127 appearances for Villa since signing in 2019 from Manchester City, has scored seven goals and recorded 10 assists for the Lions. He has played nearly 10,000 minutes for the club, more than four times the amount for any other side.

Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo reports, however, that Barcelona are keen on making a player-plus-money move for Luiz to pry him away. It is said Blaugrana are willing to offer Ivorian international midfielder Franck Kessie along with funds to tempt Villa. Italian outlet Calciomercato reports the same.

Unai Emery will have a key decision to make if and when an offer does come in, as Kessie has got quite the CV himself. He has struggled to hit the ground running at Barcelona since arriving on a free transfer in the summer transfer window, but the 25-year-old had already proven himself as a real talent at AC Milan.

In Italy, Kessie racked up an impressive 223 appearances and - despite being a largely defensive midfielder - made 53 direct goal involvements. His current market value, according to Transfermarkt is €35 million - the exact same as that of Luiz.