Man City transfer: Pep Guardiola wants to pay €100m for players he sold for €14m in 2019

Man City transfer: Pep Guardiola wants to pay €100m for players he sold for €14m in 2019

Former Man City midfielder Douglas Luiz during a friendly match in 2018.

Douglas Luiz during a friendly match in 2018.

Pep Guardiola is interested in bringing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz back to Manchester City in a deal worth £100million, according to a report.

 

City signed Luiz from Brazilian side Vasco da Gama for around £10.2million back in the summer of 2017.

 

He was instantly shipped out on loan to Girona in Spain – a club in the City Football Group – and spent two seasons in La Liga.

 

Upon his return to the Etihad, Guardiola decided to sell the Brazilian to Premier League rivals Aston Villa for £14.3m.

 

Luiz did not make a single competitive appearance for the Cityzens and has gone on to become one of the best midfielders in the country.

 

Arsenal tried to sign Luiz for around £25m on deadline day in the 2022 summer transfer window but Steven Gerrard was not willing to sell the player.

 

He was highly influential under the Liverpool legend but his game has elevated to another level under the guidance of Unai Emery.

 

An excellent holding midfield player who can do everything a No. 6 requires, the 25-year-old has added goals to his game, netting ten in 37 appearances this term.

 

His fine form has caught the attention of several clubs, with Arsenal believed to still be keen.

 

Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester City have also been linked in recent months and we could see a bidding war at the end of the season.

 

And a fresh report from Football Insider claims Guardiola’s side are weighing up a monstrous offer for Luiz.

 

Unfortunately for City, the buy-back clause they inserted in the deal to sell the midfielder to Villa has now expired, which will frustrate ‘big fan’ Guardiola.

 

Indeed, the Spanish manager highly rates Luiz and ‘believes he has improved significantly in the last two years’, the report claims.

 

This means Pep ‘is ready to bring him back to the club’ with City prepared to ‘push Arsenal all the way for his signature’.

 

The same outlet previously reported that the Villans may be ‘forced’ to sell Luiz at the end of the season and have slapped a £100m price-tag on him, a figure that is over £85m more than they bought him for.

 

Luiz is under contract at Villa Park until 2026 so Emery’s side are well within their right to demand such a high fee for a player of his importance, with the European champions ready to ‘step up their interest’.