Summary
Tottenham Hotspur would be the "more likely suitors" for Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz this summer over north London rivals Arsenal due to the Gunners' massive spending, claims journalist Ryan Taylor.
Is Douglas Luiz joining Tottenham Hotspur this summer?
It has been a relatively good start to the transfer window for Tottenham this summer, with the £40m signing of James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Manor Solomon either directly improving the first team or the side's squad depth.
That said, the Lilywhites might have to dip back into the transfer market this summer, as the Mailonline have reported that current midfield stalwart Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could be on the way out as the club are currently in talks with La Liga giants Atletico Madrid.
The same publication have also claimed that should the Dane depart N17 in the summer, Villa's Luiz and Chelsea's Conor Gallagher have been identified as potential replacements.
However, Daniel Levy should act swiftly on this one if he is keen on the Brazilian, as the Sun have reported that North London rivals Arsenal are 'eyeing' a move for the player after they failed to secure his signature in the closing days of last summer's transfer window.
The significant advantage that Spurs might have in this potential transfer battle is that they haven't spent anywhere near as much money as the Gunners so far, and with Football Transfers expected transfer value model pricing the combative midfielder between €30m-€50m (£26m-£43m) it could prove a step too far for Mikel Arteta's side.
What has Ryan Taylor said about Tottenham Hotspur and Douglas Luiz?
Taylor was clear that after all the spending Arsenal have done over the last month or so, he isn't sure whether they would have the money that Villa would demand for this move and that even if Tottenham did have the money, it might not be the best move for the player.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "I think Tottenham will probably be the more likely suitors for him. Because, at the moment, I don't really envisage Arsenal having the kind of money to hand that Villa would require, and obviously Hojbjerg is probably going to head to Atlético Madrid as well.
"But again, if you're Douglas Luiz, do you trade Villa for Tottenham now? I don't think that's a clear upgrade, if that's the right word. I think Villa are certainly going to be better, if not competing with Spurs next season.
"So again, I'm not sure whether that's a move that will happen, but we'll have to wait and see."
How good is Douglas Luiz?
It was another excellent season for the former Manchester City man in the West Midlands last year, one in which he played a crucial component in the Villan's surprising charge up the table under Unai Emery, a charge that resulted in European football.
The Spaniard was full of praise for his midfield general earlier this year, waxing lyrical over his performances following a 3-0 win over Bournemouth:
"Today I am very happy with Douglas Luiz. His skill, characteristic in the squad (are) very important. Every match he is very focused on how we can manage 90 minutes, keeping ball possession, keeping good positioning, taking our time with our central midfielder and his characteristic (are) necessary in this team."
And, he won the praise of Pep Guardiola who stated that he's an "important" player and is "clever on the ball".
Across his 37 Premier League games last season, the Rio-born "enforcer" scored six goals, provided six assists, maintained a pass accuracy of 85.4%, earnt three Man-of-the-Match awards and averaged a match rating of 6.93, per WhoScored.
His underlying numbers, whilst not out of this world, are definitely good enough to help improve the Spurs midfield.
According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the 25-year-old sits in the top 4% for non-penalty goals, the top 5% for assists, the top 23% for expected assists, and the top 28% for shot-creating actions, all per 90.
Signing Luiz would be a good idea for Spurs in any typical summer, but if they are set to lose Hojbjerg, then this signing makes even more sense and could help them in their quest to regain European football next season.
