“BREAKING NEWS”ARSENAL’S NUMBER ONE JANUARY TRANSFER TARGET WILL NOW COST EVEN MORE THAN DECLAN RICE

Arsenaland January’s first transfer target now costs even more than Declan Rice Arsenal will now have to pay more than £100m to sign top January transfer target Douglas Luiz from Premier League rivals Aston Villa. Aston Villa are ready to pay a huge fee for midfielder Douglas Luiz this summer in a bid to ditch Arsenal. That’s according to Football Transfers, who report that Villa are now ready to demand £110m for midfielder Luiz in 2024. Villa have become a different beast under Unai Emery and have real dreams of finishing in the top four this season. A number of Villa stars are blossoming under Emery and suddenly attracting plenty of transfer interest… Aston Villa are trying to fend off Arsenal’s interest in Douglas Luiz Chief among them is midfielder Douglas Luiz, who has enjoyed an excellent start to the season. The Brazilian has impressed in Villa’s engine room, scoring five goals and providing two assists in 14 Premier League appearances this season. Fabrizio Romano claimed in November that Arsenal see Luiz as their number one January target and Mikel Arteta as the “ideal” signing. The Gunners want another midfielder due to Thomas Partey’s injury history and Luiz is probably the best option. Football Transfers now claim that Villa are ready to ask a staggering £110m for Luiz to fend off interested clubs. Villa believe Luiz must be worth more than the £105m Arsenal paid for Declan Rice in the summer. Arsenal certainly cannot raise that kind of money, especially in January, and have no intention of meeting such demands. Aston Villa FC – Legia Warszawa: Subgroup E – UEFA Europa League 2023/24 Photo: Neville Williams / Aston Villa FC via Getty Images Other clubs want to sign Luiz Arsenal aren’t exactly alone in their pursuit of Luiz, at least according to reports last week. Liverpool have reportedly “explained” their interest to Jurgen Klopp and other admirers of the Brazilian. However, the Reds spent a lot on midfielders in the summer and it is hard to see the Reds spending more than £100 million on Luiz. Perhaps City would be slightly more likely, but they sold Luiz to Villa in 2019 and it is unclear whether he would want to return to the Etihad Stadium.