Manchester United now pursuing Douglas Luiz – Everton and Nottingham Forest remain in picture

Douglas Luiz has at least one foot out of the Juventus exit door, and Manchester United have now been pulled back into the picture to sign him.

Everton, Nottingham Forest and West Ham have been linked repeatedly over the past week, and it genuinely feels like many clubs in the Premier League are being targeted by the player’s agent Kia Joorabcian.

The 27-year-old Brazilian was expected to return to Juventus on Thursday, for health checks at the club’s branded J|Medical centre in Turin and to start preseason training. He didn’t show, and that prompted collective pearl clutching in the Italian media.

When Luiz arrived at Juventus, he was coming off a season in which he’d scored 10 goals and added 10 assists for Aston Villa. His arrival, which cost around €50m, was met with some excitement but a hefty dose of cynicism too. That was due to two players – Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior – going the other way.

There were fears among the Juventus fanbase that a financial mess could again be opening up. Juventus had been involved in a Plusvalenza scandal in the preceding years, which saw them sign, sell and swap players with values adjusted to fit the accounts.

That resulted in severe penalties and is why Fabio Paratici, a key figure in it all, was banned and forced to leave his next job at Tottenham. Pavel Nedved was another of those implicated and went from being vice president at the Turin club to being banned and recently taking up a job with the Czech FA.

Sections of the Italian media insinuated there was something dodgy going on. So when Douglas Luiz didn’t get off to a great start following his arrival from Aston Villa, the knives, or keyboards, were well and truly out.

By January, the idea of a quick exit had grown. Clubs such as Nottingham Forest were linked but it was stated Luiz himself would be holding for something bigger, with Manchester United mentioned repeatedly.

Unfortunately for the midfielder, Ruben Amorim’s side didn’t show any intent regarding signing him, although there’s been claims in recent weeks that they have an interest.

Luiz’s agent is Kia Joorabchian, who first became well known in the UK for his role in the deals which took Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano to West Ham, and all the drama which followed.

Since then he’s been getting on with being a top agent, and reports from Italy this week have stated he’s working the Premier League market to find a home for Luiz.

Everton, Nottingham Forest and West Ham are the clubs named most frequently, in no particular order. Friday’s edition of Gazzetta dello Sport names those three, as does Corriere dello Sport, with the latter reporting Manchester United are also pursuing him.

On Luiz not showing up, Gazzetta state: ‘Juventus, understandably upset by the player’s unprofessional behaviour, will take action. The 27-year-old will likely be fined, but beyond the symbolic sanction, this won’t be the main consequence of his absence on the first day of the season. The romance between Douglas Luiz and the Old Lady never blossomed, and the change in management from Thiago Motta to Igor Tudor hasn’t changed the situation one bit. General manager Damien Comolli has been searching for a destination for the midfielder for weeks, and so does his entourage, with their eyes firmly set on one league: the Premier League.’

Corriere dello Sport add: ‘The consequence is easy to understand: the relationship between Douglas and the Old Lady ends here. Sure, the player was on the market after his failed first season in Italy, but what happened yesterday goes beyond the logic of negotiations. It’s a sign of a definitive breakup, but also a lack of respect for Juve, his teammates, and the coaching staff.’

As we explained yesterday, there’s a possibility Joorabchian is trying to force an exit on terms which favour the player’s camp and that going AWOL is a play in that.

Juventus paid €50m and secured Luiz to a five year contract. Therefore, if they sell this summer they need €40m to avoid an accounting loss.

Nobody is paying that so the Juve idea has been a loan with a €40m buying obligation set for next summer, potentially set as a €10m loan fee and subsequent €30m purchase. That hasn’t caught any bites yet either.

Joorabchian may be going for a straight loan with an option to buy rather than obligation, and such a scenario may well tempt Manchester United and fulfil a desire which was reported in January.

Don’t rule out an Aston Villa return, after Monchi said the following in November: “He’s a playmaker. Every ball that comes out of his feet makes sense. After his farewell we invested well, but I would always take Douglas back, for any club. He’s very strong.”

Douglas Luiz can play either as a central midfielder or defensive midfielder. The 27-year-old has 18 Brazil caps and last made an appearance for his national side at the Copa América in July 2024 before his ratings plummeted at Juventus.