Everton in ‘operation treasure’ as Douglas Luiz transfer wanted now
Everton are looking at Juventus star Douglas Luiz for their next transfer already.
The Toffees’ summer finally looks to be taking shape, with other transfer targets set to follow Thierno Barry and Mark Travers through the door.
Luiz looks to be a priority for David Moyes, and it doesn’t look like they will need to budge in their valuation of the Brazilian.
Juventus will need to budge from £34.5million asking price
Luiz signed for Juventus last season for £43.2million, but has struggled in Turin.
The Italian giants are now ready to sell the midfielder for a cut fee, but the Toffees will be in no rush to match their asking price.
| Season | Apps | Goals | Assists |
| 2023/24 | 35 | 9 | 5 |
| 2022/23 | 37 | 6 | 6 |
| Total | 72 | 15 | 11 |
Corriere dello Sport has reported in its print edition (pg 6, 17 July) that the sale of Luiz is a “thorny situation” for Juventus, who need to bring in millions.
They add that it remains to be seen what the deal will be, with The Old Lady needing to recoup £34.5million to avoid a capital loss in “operation treasure”.
However, given Juventus’ desire to sell Luiz, along with the Brazilians dip in form, it would be hard for the Italians to attract anyone willing to pay the fee.
Therefore, with the players’ agents working quickly to find a solution and both parties’ desires working to move the midfielder on, Everton seem to hold all the cards.
Everton have the perfect backup plan should Luiz move fail
Moyes’ side will have the perfect backup plan should Juventus be unwilling to shift their asking price.
For a potential spend of £20million, Hayden Hackney would be ideal for the Blues’ midfield and would be crucial in creating a quick link between defence and attack.
With the Toffees needing more depth, they could still move for Hackney if Luiz ends up on Merseyside.
The 23-year-old has already established himself as one of the most influential midfielders in the Championship, and his quality was again on display this summer for England’s Under-21 side.
Either way, it looks like Moyes is pushing hard for new midfielders.
Sign up for the Goodison News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Everton news sent straight to your phone.