Arsenal failed to strike a deadline day deal for Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz and the Emirates Stadium outfit’s late pursuit was ‘strange’, according to transfer insider Dean Jones. Although the Gunners parted with close to £120million as boss Mikel Arteta drafted in reinforcements during the summer window, he was unable to land Luiz ahead of Thursday’s 11pm cut-off point.
With Luiz being into the final 12 months of his £52,000-per-week contract at Villa, Arsenal were hoping to use the uncertainty over his long-term future to their advantage on deadline day.
However, the Midlands club played hardball and rejected three bids from the Gunners, with the final proposal being worth £25million.
Although Villa were adamant that Luiz was not for sale ahead of the transfer window slamming shut, the 24-year-old reportedly wanted to seal his exit.