Leeds open talks to sign Douglas Luiz as Juventus set price well within 49ers’ reach – report

Leeds United are reported to have opened talks with Juventus over a deal to sign Douglas Luiz – and while the Italians’ cut-price fee for the Brazil international does give the Whites hope, they will face competition and have been warned of an “issue” in the player’s game.

The Whites are looking to add a number of quality signings to their ranks and equip themselves as best as possible for their return to the Premier League. And with the last six sides all elevated to the top flight suffering an instant return, Leeds United know they will have their work cut out to simply finish 17th, or higher, next season.

All the same, Daniel Farke and sporting director Adam Underwood have started the summer window with real purpose. Lukas Nmecha has signed on a free transfer to bolster the forward line, while towering Slovenian defender Jaka Bijol has arrived in a £15m deal from Udinese.

However, Farke knows he needs several more key additions and has plans to bring in a new goalkeeper, left-back, striker and a No.10.

The Whites boss would also like to add another quality addition to his midfield and while sacrifices will have to be made to land as many of his key objectives as possible, Leeds will only jump in if certain targets fall within their budget.

To that end, reported interest in Douglas Luiz certainly looks ambitious. The 18-times capped Brazil midfielder moved to Juventus last summer in a deal worth around £42m (€50m, $57.5m).

However, the 27-year-old has failed to live up to his billing in Italy and, after starting just three times in Serie A and having zero goals or assists to his name, the Bianconeri are now ready to sell the star for a reduced price.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, they are seeking a modest €25m (£21.3m, $29.2m) fee for the former Aston Villa man – half their investment last season.

And having been linked with a prospective move earlier this summer, Football Insider now reports that Leeds have indeed ‘opened talks’ over a move for Luiz.

With Juventus described as ‘determined to force Luiz out’, there could be an opportunity there for Leeds to land a quality and proven Premier League performer for a cut-price fee.

However, his reported salary of €5m (£4.3m) a year – roughly £82,000 a week – would be an issue for the Whites, unless they can convince the player to take a significant wage cut.

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Leeds told Douglas Luiz problem as Prem rivals also target deal

Amid Juve’s desperation to move the player on, the midfielder has also been linked with a move to Manchester United, who have reportedly been offered the star as part of a straight swap for Jadon Sancho, while talks were held over a possible loan return to Manchester City back in January as Pep Guardiola’s side look to navigate their way through the near-season-long loss of the influential Rodri.

However, Football Insider reports that the strongest threat to Leeds’ apparent interest in Luiz is likely to come from Nottingham Forest, with Nuno’s side preparing for a return to European competition, in the UEFA Conference League, and looking for more quality and experience to add to their squad.

Speaking to the website, former Man Utd scout Mick Brown, feels though there is a very obvious reason why Juve are so keen to move the player on.

“Juventus want to get rid of Douglas Luiz,” he said.

“He hasn’t made an impact there since leaving Villa, and from what I hear his agent has been speaking to a load of Premier League clubs to find him a move.

“Luiz is a very good passer of the ball, he’s a talented player.

“My issue has always been that if the game is against you, he goes missing.

“It’s something I flagged while I was at Aston Villa, if the run of the game starts going against you, he’s always second to everything and you can bypass him in midfield.

“So Leeds may well be interested after speaking to his agent, but they have to know what they’re getting.

“If they want somebody to get on the ball and help them progress, he can do that.

“If they want somebody who’s combative and willing to battle in the middle, they’ll look elsewhere.

“Their scouts will have done their due diligence on him; they’ll know what he can and can’t do, and then it’s up to them to make a decision.”

His lack of game-time at Juve was blamed, in parts of the Italian media, on an apparent lack of match fitness; an accusation Luiz took exception to as he stated towards the end of the campaign: “I didn’t come here just to take pictures; nobody else did. I want things to be different. I came with a purpose, I listened to my heart when I signed.

“Now, I want you to answer me: why hasn’t a signing like me played two consecutive matches with this shirt? You can say whatever you want to the press later: ‘Douglas isn’t fit.’ Am I not fit? I did the entire pre-season and played every match. I had come off one of the best seasons of my career, one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League. Injuries held me back.

“True, but how long did I stay on the bench while I was fit? A lot. These injuries were not normal. I’ve never been injury-prone, but there are many reasons that could have caused this, which I’d rather not comment on. I will keep giving everything for this club, even though it’s hard sometimes. It’s not easy, but you can count on me.”

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Meanwhile, we exclusively revealed the news earlier this week that Leeds are confident of tying down Dan James to a new deal ahead of their Premier League return after a productive conversation with his agent and with the terms on offer now coming to light.

On the subject of Bijol, United are considering a move to add to his signing by also bringing in one of his Slovenian compatriots after Fabrizio Romano confirmed interest from Farke’s side in a soon-to-depart Roma teenager.

And finally, amid claims Leeds have made a move to sign Dominic Calvert-Lewin, sources have explained why the club currently has no plans to sign the experienced Everton frontman at this point in the window.

Douglas Luiz at Juventus: What’s gone wrong?

By Samuel Bannister

Douglas Luiz’s move from Aston Villa to Juventus was the second most expensive signing in Serie A last summer, though it was offset by Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea being traded the other way.

Ironically, Iling-Junior and Barrenechea both spent their first season as Villa players out on loan, and Luiz’s Juventus future quickly went into doubt too.

After a slow integration, Luiz only started three Serie A matches for Juventus in 2024-25, although he was injured for 13 of the ones he missed. His last start was all the way back in January.

In October, within the space of five days, Luiz gave away penalties in consecutive games against RB Leipzig in the Champions League and Cagliari in Serie A.

His first Juventus boss Thiago Motta attributed some of the Brazilian’s struggles to his physical problems.

“I hope and believe a lot in him. He has been out for a long time,” Motta said in December.

“He certainly doesn’t have the physical level of some of his teammates. He can do everything and has shown he’s a complete midfielder at a high level.”

But despite his wide skillset, Luiz never adapted to Motta’s tactics at Juventus. He wasn’t alone, with fellow midfield signing – and the only addition more expensive than him in the summer – Teun Koopmeiners also failing to convince.

Luiz was not given as much freedom as he had at Aston Villa, where everything ran through him. Suddenly, he had more of a specific role to fulfil and more rigorous instructions, which he didn’t get completely up to speed with.

In January, Motta demanded defensive improvements from Luiz, but still suggested he could play in any of his three midfield roles.

“He is a high-level midfielder who can play in the three positions we use,” Motta said.

“He can score goals and provide the final pass, he has creativity, and he knows how to build up. He can do more defensively, like everyone else. He can cover three positions and have freedom in a context.”

Luiz needs to develop his tactical discipline to succeed in Serie A, but his current fortunes don’t mean he has lost his way, since Juventus struggled to reach high standards as a team last season anyway.

Motta was sacked in March and replaced with Igor Tudor, who will continue as Juventus’ head coach in the new season but has never picked Luiz as a starter.

Before taking the Juventus job, Tudor stuck up for Luiz, claiming as an observer that even Michel Platini took time to settle at Juventus.

However, Luiz has struggled to make up for lost time since they’ve been working together and faces an uncertain future this summer.