Champions League club to hold talks with hierarchy over Everton target after taking 'revenge' on club
Everton and Manchester United are among the teams who reportedly have Douglas Luiz on their radar in the summer transfer window.
A Turkish club is set for crunch talks with Juventus over the future of Douglas Luiz amid Everton’s interest.
The midfielder only joined the Old Lady last summer for £44 million, having been highly impressive for Aston Villa. In the 2023-24 season, Luiz recorded 10 goals and 10 assists as Villa finished fourth in the Premier League and qualified for the Champions League, as well as reaching the Europa Conference League semi-finals.
But it has not worked out for the Brazil international at Juve. He was a bit-part player in 2024-25 and started only three Serie A matches. He also played for just 45 minutes in the Italian giants’ four matches at the Club World Cup earlier this summer.
Luiz opted not to return to training with Juve after their break. He has a host of clubs interested in signing him, with Everton one of them. Premier League rivals Manchester United, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United are among those credited with an interest.
Fenerbahce to hold talks
According to Italian newspaper La Gazetta dello Sport, Luiz’s decision to snub training was ‘a sort of revenge’ for being cast into the wilderness by Juventus and not being given a fair chance. He has now reported for duty but a departure is looking likely.
The Turin-based outfit are looking to recoup a significant portion of the fee they paid for Luiz. They reportedly would want a loan fee of around £8.7 million and an obligation to buy for £26 million.
However, Fenerbahce's sporting director Devin Oze is supposedly set to land in Italy over the next few days to begin negotiations. The Turkish outfit, whose head coach is Jose Mourinho, are aiming to be in the league phase of the 2025-26 Champions League. They are in the third qualifying stage of Europe’s elite club competition and face Feyenoord next month.
Will Everton sign Douglas Luiz?
David Moyes’ side are in need of reinforcements, especially in midfield. The only two recognised Premier League options they have are Idrissa Gana Gueye and James Garner.
Moyes has admitted that the Toffees have struggled signing players so far, with only three arriving. Charly Alcaraz’s loan was turned into a permanent deal from Flamengo after impressing in the second half of the season, while striker Thierno Barry was recruited from Villarreal for up to £27 million and Mark Travers joined from AFC Bournemouth for £4 million to be back-up goalkeeper to Jordan Pickford.
However, Moyes knows that a lack of European football is making it more difficult for Everton to recruit. He told The Athletic: “The club are trying really hard to get the players I want and I’ve found it really difficult because in my last few years (in his previous job at West Ham United), I’ve been involved in European competition. It’s a bit easier when you’re a club in Europe. You get a better chance of attracting a lot of players. We’ve been in for a lot of really good players. Unfortunately, a lot them have said no at the moment.”