Juventus director Cristiano Giuntoli has clearly made upgrade his club's midfield ahead of Thiago Motta's debut as head coach a top priority. And before the month of June comes to an end, a very interesting way of acquiring that first midfield upgrade is all set to happen.
By all accounts, Juve's deal for Douglas Luiz is a go. That is according to reports from some of the most reputable folks in both England and Italy. The Athletic's David Ornstein says it's all agreed upon. Romeo Agresti, now at ilBianconero.com, says the deal is good to go. Fabrizio Romano has given it the old "here we go!" while Gianluca Di Marzio and others say it's a go, too. That means Douglas Luiz, who Giuntoli has identified as a key piece to Motta's midfield,
It all breaks down, according to Ornstein and others, like this:
Juventus and Aston Villa agree to EUR50 million deal for Douglas Luiz. In what is the second half of the swap but technically a separate deal for sweet plusvalenza purposes, it will be Samuel Iling-Junior, Enzo Barrenechea and EUR22 million in cash heading to Aston Villa. Douglas Luiz will have his medical exams at some point next week, as they take place in the United States since he is currently on national team duty with Brazil at Copa America.
All three players are expected to sign five-year deals through 2029 with their new clubs, as Douglas Luiz is expected to earn around EUR4-4.5 million net at Juventus.
Juventus agree deal with Aston Villa to sign Douglas Luiz for EUR50m. #Juve pair Samuel Iling-Junior & Enzo Barrenechea moving opposite way for EUR22m in separate transaction - expected to do medicals next week + join #AVFC on 5yr contracts @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/QJ0BthHwiv - David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) June 22, 2024
When Ornstein posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the deal is all good to go and happening, then you know it is going to happen. That is very much his steez - he only posts when something is going down, and we thank him for it.
Douglas Luiz is the kind of midfielder in which Juventus has not had in a good amount of time, and he will certainly provide something that allows Motta to play the kind of football he wants to instill on his new club. Plus, simply addressing the midfield was going to be a huge point of emphasis no matter who the manager was going to be entering next season, so to get the first big signing of the summer done before the start of July is a big deal.
Sure, Giuntoli had to get creative. But in Juventus' current financial climate, that's something that had to happen to get this deal done. And now it is and we can await the medicals and the contract announcements. That's a good thing as the first pieces of Motta's Juventus start to get put on paper.