Manchester United are reportedly 'admirers' of Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, who has struggled to settle in Turin since leaving Aston Villa last summer.
The former Manchester City prospect ended his successful stint at Villa Park to join the Bianconeri in a £42.9m deal, one that significantly helped Aston Villa's Financial Fair Play situation.
Luiz committed to a long-term contract with Juventus until the summer of 2029, but the 26-year-old did not hit the ground running at his new club and remains on the periphery of the first team.
The Brazilian has made 20 appearances across all competitions, but only five of those have come from the first whistle, earning just three starts in Serie A and a further two in the Champions League.
Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram, Weston McKennie and Teun Koopmeiners are all providing stiff competition in the engine room, and Luiz's lack of starts led to rumours that he could make a sensational return to Man City in January.
Juventus hold 'internal talks' over Luiz sale amid Man United links
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That did not materialise as the Premier League champions instead signed Nico Gonzalez to plug the Rodri gap, but according to the Daily Mail, a move to Manchester could still be on the cards.
According to the Daily Mail - via The Mirror - Man United have shown an interest in bringing Luiz back to the Premier League, and the midfielder is also considering his options after a tough start to life in Italy.
While Juve head coach Thiago Motta has publicly backed Luiz to turn his fortunes around, the report adds that there have been talks over a possible sale behind closed doors at the Allianz Stadium.
It is unclear whether Juventus would accept a transfer hit or try to glean a profit for Luiz, who did not make a single senior appearance for Man City before being sold to Aston Villa in 2019.
However, the Brazilian made a name for himself as an all-action number eight in the West Midlands, registering 22 goals and 24 assists from 204 appearances and helping Unai Emery's side qualify for the Champions League.
Man United are expected to lose Christian Eriksen when his contract expires in the summer, while Casemiro's deal runs until the end of next term, but bids will be entertained for Luiz's compatriot too.
Meanwhile, the future of Kobbie Mainoo is also slightly up in the air, as the Chelsea-linked midfielder could be sold for pure profit this summer, which would go a long way to Man United complying with Financial Fair Play rules.
What other midfield targets do Man United have?
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Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim is likely to oversee an engine room rejig this summer, and the 20-time English champions are also said to have made contact over a move for Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Larsson.
Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich, Lille's Angel Gomes - a former youth product - and Atalanta BC's Ederson have also been mentioned as possible candidates to reinforce the Man United midfield for 2025-26.
The Red Devils memorably spent most of the summer 2022 window trying to convince Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong to join, and while that pursuit ended in failure, they could apparently now be offered the chance to sign him in a cut-price deal this time around.
Ben Knapton
