ARSENAL are ready to make a deadline day bid for Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz.
The Gunners are ready to offer up to £25million for the Brazilian, who has less than a year left on his contract.
Villa do not want to sell especially on the deadline day but risk losing the ex-Man City man for nothing should he not sign a new deal.
Coincidentally, Luiz faced Arsenal just last night as Villa lost 2-1 – but he did score direct from a corner.
And after the game his manager Steven Gerrard admitted he did not know whether Luiz, 24, was going to stay at the club and he was not in control of the situation.
Gerrard said: "There’s more than two people that are in control of that, but I’m certainly not one of them.
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"That will be Douglas, that will be his agent and that will be what happens around that.
"I would like to keep him – he’s a fantastic player and I’ve made that abundantly clear. We are not in a position to lose top players.
"But at the same time, Douglas has got a year to go and it is one of those really touchy situations where the club has to do what is best for the club, not necessarily what is best for me.”
However in a twist this morning Villa announced that the in-demand central midfielder will not be departing, according to Sky Sports.
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This has not stopped Arsenal who remain hopeful they can bring him to the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Arteta has been keen to add another midfielder to the squad all summer and has admitted if the right player becomes available they will sign him.
Arsenal are not the only club keen on Luiz with Liverpool having just joined Chelsea in the battle for his signature too.
Luiz would be the current Premier League leaders last signing of the summer if a deal gets done with big fees already paid out for Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Vieira and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Meanwhile, academy graduate Ainsley Maitland-Niles is set to secure another loan away from the club.
The Gunners have agreed a loan deal with Southampton, who will have the option to buy the midfielder next summer.
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