Arsenal fail with late push for Douglas Luiz after Aston Villa reject three bids

Arsenal have failed with a late attempt to sign Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa, who are understood to have rejected three offers for the Brazil midfielder.

Mikel Arteta had been seeking extra depth with Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny sidelined through injury. Luiz was keen on the switch but Villa would not sanction his departure even though he will be out of contract next summer. Arsenal were willing to pay £25m for the 24-year-old but Villa, who have lost four of their first five league games, stood their ground.

Arsenal had long been well aware of Luiz. He crossed paths with Arteta during their spell as colleagues at Manchester City between 2017 and 2019, although the player spent most of that time on loan at Girona. He is also known to Edu, the Arsenal technical director, who was general coordinator of the Brazil national team before taking his current role.

There was the sense at Arsenal that a deal could be possible when, after a 2-1 win over Villa on Wednesday night in which Luiz scored direct from a corner, Edu and Luiz held an upbeat conversation. Luiz made it clear to Villa that he wished to leave, ostensibly with an eye on regaining his Brazil place for the World Cup. Villa’s subsequent signing of Leander Dendoncker also raised hopes at the Emirates.

But Villa were not for turning when Arsenal made their move, rejecting their final bid in the 90 minutes before the deadline. It means Arteta, whose team have made a blistering start with five straight wins, must tread a high-wire act and hope his existing midfield suffers no further setbacks. He was confident enough to sanction the loan of Ainsley Maitland-Niles to Southampton on Thursday and will have been heartened by a bright display from Albert Sambi Lokonga