Aston Villa strike big transfer move to beat off Chelsea competition and land key midfielder amid injury issues

Villa have been hit with a triple blow on the injury front - with John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans all being ruled out in recent weeks.

Emery's side had been linked with the likes of AC Milan's Ruben Lotfus-Cheek earlier in the window - but they have now reportedly beaten off competition to bring back a former favourite to Villa Park.

Douglas Luiz played a key role in the Villa side that qualified for last season's Champions League - before departing for Juventus as the club looked to strike a balance amid PSR issues.

And now they have struck a deal with Juventus over a loan deal for Luiz - beating off competition from Chelsea and clubs in Spain.

Luiz has been steadily climbing Villa's list of potential targets as the transfer window has progressed and a reunion is now increasingly likely. 

The Brazil international made more than 200 appearances for the club before joining Juventus for £42.5million in 2024.

After a difficult first season in Italy he joined Villa’s Premier League rivals Forest on loan last summer but has made only eight league appearances after struggling early in the campaign with a hamstring injury.

Villa have endured a rough month on the injury front with Kamara lost for the season and McGinn facing more than a month out.

Enquiries have been made over Milan’s Loftus-Cheek but signing Luiz is of increasing appeal due to the player’s quality and prior knowledge of Emery’s methods.