Manchester City are reportedly considering a reunion with former midfielder Douglas Luiz as they scope out potential midfield additions for the second half of the season.
The Juventus lynchpin was on the books at the Etihad from 2017 to 2019, but he was never given the chance to prove his worth to Pep Guardiola, who sanctioned his exit to Aston Villa in 2019.
However, Luiz blossomed in the West Midlands, establishing a reputation as one of the best players in his position in the top flight and securing a £43.5m move to Juventus during the summer window.
The 26-year-old is yet to make his mark in Turin, though, failing to register a goal or assist in 16 appearances across all competitions and starting just three matches in Serie A for Thiago Motta's side.
Luiz has also totalled just 49 minutes from three substitute appearances in the Champions League, although he has not been helped by muscular injuries, missing 11 games in all tournaments so far.
Man City 'exploring multiple options' for midfield signing
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Luiz remains under contract with the Bianconeri for another four-and-a-half years, but according to The Athletic, City are now contemplating whether to bring him back to the Etihad.
The report claims that the Premier League champions would only want to sign the South American on loan until the end of the season, with no option or obligation to make the deal permanent.
However, those conditions will not satisfy Juventus, who have no interest in letting Luiz leave temporarily and would rather sell him outright this month or insist that an obligation to buy is included in any deal.
As Man City apparently have no interest in such a move, Luiz would need Juventus to relent on their demands if he is to return to the Premier League, where he made 175 appearances for Aston Villa.
The ex-Vasco da Gama youngster is supposedly not the only midfield target on Man City's wishlist, though, as the club are 'exploring multiple options' to reinforce their engine room for the next few months.
Why do City want to re-sign Luiz?
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Man City are slowly but surely starting to rediscover their old ways if Sunday's 6-0 slaughter of Ipswich Town is anything to go by, but their hopes of a fifth straight Premier League title are virtually dead in the water.
The Citizens' unforeseen autumn collapse coincided with a serious knee injury to Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, who is facing a race against time to be back before the end of the season, and his absence has deprived Guardiola of easily his most influential player.
Ilkay Gundogan - one of just two new arrivals in the summer alongside Brazilian attacker Savinho - has struggled to re-adapt to the Premier League, while Mateo Kovacic has also missed a few matches through injury this season.
Re-signing Luiz or capturing another midfielder would continue Man City's significant winter spending spree, as the club are closing in on deals for Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush and Vitor Reis.
The Sky Blues have also been tipped to make a £54.7m bid for Luiz's Juventus teammate Andrea Cambiaso and recently tied Erling Haaland to an astronomical nine-and-a-half year contract extension.
Ben Knapton
