Revealed: Why Alisha Lehmann & Douglas Luiz were allowed to leave Aston Villa for Juventus in unusual couple transfer

Luiz's £42.35 million (€50m) move to Juventus was announced on June 30, a week before his partner, Lehmann, made the same switch from Aston Villa. It completed a rare 'couple transfer' as the pair embarked on a new career together in Turin.

The rationale surrounding the transfers, and how Juventus were able to sign both players in the same window, has now been explained by The Athletic. Luiz was one of the best players in Unai Emery's squad but he wasn't considered indispensable, and Villa needed to raise funds or else find themselves at risk of breaching profit and sustainability rules. It was recently reported that the club faced a 10-point deduction had they not sold the Brazilian midfielder before the June 30 deadline for their yearly financial records.

Lehmann, meanwhile, wasn't considered an integral part of new Villa boss Robert de Pauw's plans. He preferred her replacement, club-record signing Gabi Nunes, who arrived in September.

Luiz and Lehmann are approaching five months in Italy and it's been difficult for the pair to settle in. The Brazilian midfielder has struggled for form and fitness, making just two starts in Serie A, and is currently viewed by Juventus boss Thiago Motta as a rotation option alongside Manuel Locatelli, Teun Koopmeiners, Khephren Thuram and Weston McKennie.

As for Lehmann, she has made 11 appearances in the league but six of those have come from off the bench. The adaptation process was made considerably more difficult when the couple's house was burgled in October.

Luiz remains out with an injury that has kept him sidelined since October, forcing him to miss Wednesday's reunion with Villa in the Champions League. Lehmann could be in action for Switzerland on Friday in their friendly against Germany.