Arsenal may have reached a tricky sticking point in their late bid to sign Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa.
The midfielder was on the scoresheet against the Gunners in Wednesday night's clash at the Emirates Stadium before Villa boss Steven Gerrard admitted Luiz could depart before the transfer deadline. That has sparked Arsenal's recruitment team into action as they make a last-ditch attempt to land the Brazilian before the summer window shuts.
Already Arsenal have seen two bids rejected by Villa, the latest of which being in the region of £23million. Villa are open to a sale given Luiz's contract expires next summer, but will not be held to ransom. A report by the Independent claims Villa have slapped a £40m asking price on Luiz.
That could be enough to put Arsenal off returning with another offer for the 24-year-old, though Villa may be tempted into an agreement if a third bid gets closer to their valuation. However, one issue which could complicate matters further is a clause in the deal which took Luiz to Villa Park in the first place.
Villa forked out £15m to sign Luiz from Manchester City back in 2019 and has since become a key figure at the club. But while City were prepared to let him go for a relatively modest fee, they were canny enough to include a sell-on clause in the arrangement.
As reports Birmingham Mail (via Football London ), City will be entitled to a 20% cut of any transfer fee above the £15m they banked when selling Luiz three years ago. That could be part of the reasoning behind Villa's high price tag.
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Should Arsenal meet Villa's £40m valuation, City would cash in £5m of that figure, eating into Gerrard's budget for a replacement. It seems unlikely Arsenal will go as high as that in their bidding, particularly for a player they could land for free next year.
Gerrard will also be keen not to lose Luiz so close to the deadline with little time to bring in adequate cover for his struggling Villa side.
It's been an impressive window for Arsenal thus far, having already brought in former Man City duo Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, as well as midfielder Fabio Vieira from Porto. Central midfield is arguably the one area Arteta could do with reinforcements, especially in light of recent injuries to Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey.
The Gunners had been linked with a move for Palmeiras star Danilo, with negotiations believed to have taken place between the clubs over a possible deal for the 21-year-old, though it now appears more likely that transfer could happen at a later date.
In terms of outgoings, Arsenal have already cut their losses to allow Hector Bellerin to complete a move to Barcelona on a free transfer on deadline day. That decision looks to have blocked fellow right-back Cedric Soares from leaving the club despite interest from newly-promoted Fulham.
