NUFC discuss deal for "underrated" £52k-p/w metronome, he's far better than Willock - opinion

An update has emerged regarding Newcastle United and their interest in Premier League metronome Douglas Luiz…

According to The Athletic, the Villa midfielder has featured in discussions for the Magpies as they eye up deals ahead of the deadline on Monday.

The report claims that Yves Bissouma, of Brighton is too expensive for the Toon, whilst a move to bring Bruno Guimaraes to St James’ Park from Lyon is progressing nicely.

Newcastle must ensure that they are able to get a deal over the line for Luiz in the coming days, as he could be a major upgrade on Joe Willock in midfield.

The current Magpies midfielder has averaged an unimpressive SofaScore rating of 6.63 in the Premier League this season, losing 53% of his duels over the course of the campaign since his permanent summer move from Arsenal. He has been unable to deliver consistently good displays in the top flight, and that is something Luiz could bring to the table.

For Villa this term, the former Manchester City man has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.96. He has won 53% of his duels and provided 1.4 key passes per game, along with registering three assists. Luiz is also an asset defensively as he has averaged 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game.

Pep Guardiola previously heaped praise on the Brazilian, saying: “He’s a guy who plays all of the minutes. He’s an important player for Aston Villa. A guy who’s clever with the ball, so physically strong. He’s a lovely, lovely guy. Today, when he was involved in the game, defensively, offensively, he was good.”

Jermaine Jenas once dubbed him “underrated”, and his aforementioned statistics in the Premier League suggest that the 23-year-old is deserving of applause.

The £52k-per-week gem has shown that he can be a