Pep Guardiola has already told how Arsenal target Douglas Luiz will improve their midfield

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Arsenal have reportedly expressed interest in Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz and Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has already highlighted the Brazilian's qualities.

The 23-year-old was brought to City by Guardiola in 2017 but he never made a competitive appearance for the Blues as he was forced to go on loan to Girona, after work permit issues, where he enjoyed two years before making the switch to Villa Park.

Mikel Arteta will know what Luiz can bring following his stint at the Etihad Stadium alongside Guardiola but it is said he has already seen his efforts to bring him from the Midlands rebuffed after Steven Gerrard's side rejected their initial approach. "He's a guy who's played a lot of minutes, he's an important player for Aston Villa," he said in 2020. "A guy who's clever with the ball, he's so physical and strong.

I'm happy he's developing really, really well. "Today, when he was involved in the game defensively, he was good." The Blues look likely to do business of their own with Argentina attacker Julian Alvarez said to be on the verge of a permanent move to Manchester.