Douglas Luiz reaches Juventus end game as Everton told final fee
Everton have emerged as one of the main candidates to sign Douglas Luiz this summer.
The former Aston Villa midfielder has fallen badly out of favour at Juventus, and now seems likely to leave the Serie A side after just one season in Italy.
Everton are one of the clubs who have shown an interest in Luiz, with the likes of West Ham United also keen to bring him back to the Premier League.
David Moyes is hopeful of adding to his squad this summer in a bid to climb the table next term, and the 27-year-old is a player who would be capable of adding genuine top-level quality to the Toffees’ midfield.
Luiz has no way back at Juventus amid £34.8m demands
Everton will have been on red alert after Luiz skipped Juventus training on Thursday (24 July), and they are now set to be handed another boost as they line up a deal.
Luiz is set to be fined for his absence, and his relationship with the hierarchy of the Old Lady is now thought to be irreparable, according to the print edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (25 July, pg. 2).
All parties are hoping to secure a move away this summer, and the Brazilian still has his heart set on a return to the Premier League.
Everton and Nottingham Forest are both thought to be keen to hand him that opportunity, but Juventus are adamant that he won’t leave for less than £34.8million, as they try to avoid making a loss on the player.
The Italian giants had been open to entertaining a potential loan exit for Luiz, with additional payment options later down the line. However, it has now become clear that they are happy to get him off their books any way they can.
Everton have a decision to make on Luiz
Luiz had previously put a potential move to Everton on hold in order to assess any other options that may become available to him, but now it seems as though a switch to Merseyside could be back on the cards once again.
However, the Toffees now have a decision on their hands as the door opens to potentially launch another bid to bring him in.
| Competition | Matches | Goals | Assists | Yellow cards | Red cards |
| Serie A | 19 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| UEFA Champions League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Supercoppa Italiana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Moyes and Co. must weigh up the player’s genuine level of interest in completing the move, as there will surely be concerns over the lack of commitment he has shown after being slow to decide on Everton’s previous advancement.
The last thing the Scot will want is to end up hamstrung with a player on big wages who doesn’t really want to be at the club, and perhaps only moved there to escape his previous employer.
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