Arsenal's chance to sign Douglas Luiz? Why Aston Villa's FFP situation provide opportunity for Gunners to land dream midfielder - explained

Mikel Arteta has been a huge admirer of the 25-year-old and left no stone unturned to land him at the Emirates in the summer of 2022. However, Villa remained adamant they would not let go of their star player and turned down three deadline-day bids. He was tied to a long-term deal by the club which extends until 2026 but the Gunners could once again launch an offensive for the Brazilian as the Villans struggle with their finances.

Unai Emery, manager of Villa, revealed that they must sell players before they can reinforce their squad in January.

"We have to accept the rules and accept that if we want to sign someone, one has to leave on our list in the squad," Emery said.

"For financial fair play, we will need to accept the rules and how we are. They (the owners) want to invest more and more but accept the rules and accept financial fair play. We are trying to be intelligent in our transfer windows. We are trying to improve our squad with some players and if we can't do it now, we can think of the next transfer window in the summer."

Luiz continues to be a key piece of the jigsaw for Emery and has seven goals and six assists across competitions for Villa this season. Hence, Arsenal might find it difficult to bring him to the Emirates. Moreover, Emery asserted that they would not be forced to sell any player that would harm the interests of the club.

"We are trying to hold our best players in the squad and we are not close to selling someone in case a very good offer is coming and has the possibility to fix better our financial fair play," he said.

"But we are going to work time to respect the rules. We are sure we are not going to lose our potential as a team increasing, even if we have to sell some players."

Villa have already decided to get rid of Calum Chambers and Bertrand Traore to fix their books. They would look to rake in as much transfer fees as they could by selling the duo as it would help them get some funds to bring a couple of fresh faces. They trail league leaders Liverpool by just three points and will visit Everton on Sunday aiming to pick up the maximum points on offer.