DOUGLAS LUIZ has ended his five-season stay at Aston Villa by joining Juventus.
The 26-year-old midfielder played a key role in helping Villa qualify for the Europa Conference League and Champions League over the past two seasons and made over 150 appearances for the club.
Luiz joined Villa from Manchester City in the summer of 2019 after starting his career at Vasco da Gama in his native Brazil.
He made his senior international debut a few months after joining Villa, and won a gold medal for Brazil at the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021.
Juventus marked the signing by saying on their club website: “Douglas Luiz embarks on a new adventure with Juventus after five years with Villa, where he has shown exponential growth technically, physically and tactically.
“Welcome to Juventus, Douglas. We can’t wait to see you on the pitch!”
Elsewhere, Leeds have rejected a bid in the region of £35 million (€41 million) from Brentford for 18-year-old Archie Gray.
The PA news agency understands the West Yorkshire club were unwilling to accept the structure of the deal for the England U21 international and will only sell on their terms.
Gray starred last season as Leeds’ quest for an immediate return to the Premier League ended with a 1-0 defeat to Southampton in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final at Wembley.
Gray, a midfielder who also operated at right back last season, could still depart Elland Road this summer as there is interest from other Premier League clubs.
Chelsea and Tottenham are among those reportedly tracking Gray, who signed a new long-term contract in January.
Leeds are under pressure to make at least one lucrative sale in order to comply within financial fair play rules after failing to return to the top flight.
Gray, who made his senior debut in a 2-2 draw with Cardiff in August and has made 44 league appearances, is among the club’s most valuable assets.
Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville and Italy forward Wilfried Gnonto are among the club’s other bankable assets who could be sold.
Finally, Algeria winger Said Benrahma sealed a permanent move from West Ham to French club Lyon for an undisclosed fee on Sunday.
Benrahma spent the second half of last season on loan at Lyon and scored three times in 12 Ligue 1 appearances.
Lyon paid a reported £5 million (€5.9 million) loan fee to secure Benrahma’s initial spell in France and are believed to have triggered the permanent deal with a £12.3 million offer.
Benrahma joined West Ham from Brentford in 2020 and bagged 24 goals in 155 games for the east London club.
The 28-year-old was part of West Ham’s memorable run to win the 2023 Europa Conference League, scoring a penalty in the 2-1 victory over Fiorentina that secured the club’s first major trophy since 1980.
“Everyone at West Ham United would like to thank Said for his contribution and wish him the best for the future,” a West Ham statement said.
Additional reporting by AFP
