Aston Villa are closing in on a deal for Wolves midfielder Leander Dendonker in a move that could pave the way for Douglas Luiz to join Arsenal on transfer deadline day, with the Wolves man on the verge of completing a £10m move according to reports.
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The Gunners have made an opening bid of £20m plus add-ons for the Brazilian, who has been a long-term target for Mikel Arteta and Edu, but Aston Villa are reluctant to sell despite Steven Gerrard’s comments after the two sides met on Wednesday night.
“We’re not in a position where we need to lose our 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, even if it is not necessarily best for me”, he admitted.
However, the arrival of Dendonker, who was appreciated by several clubs, could well change that, with the Belgian adding more firepower in central midfield and, in turn, allowing the Villians to net a profit on Luiz.
The Gunners have been left short in midfield, with a long term injury to Mohamed Elneny meaning that he joins Thomas Partey on the sidelines. Sambi Lokonga filled in against Aston Villa, but beyond that Mikel Arteta’s side are thin on options.
Asked about Partey after his side’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa, Arteta admitted he did not know how long the Ghanaian would be out for, telling the media:
Luiz is a long term target, and could well be the final signing of the window for the Gunners.
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