Douglas Luiz: Tottenham bid update ‘shows how far’ Aston Villa have come under Gerrard
Kevin Campbell has suggested Aston Villa refused to sell Douglas Luiz to Spurs in January as they see Antonio Conte’s side as their rivals.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Arsenal and Everton striker said Villa’s dealings last month “show how far the club has come recently.”
According to the Daily Mail‘s Simon Jones (1 February), Steven Gerrard’s side rejected three offers for Luiz in the mid-season window.
One of the offers is said to have arrived from Tottenham on deadline day.
Luiz has entered the final 18 months of his contract at Villa Park and discussions have not yet taken place over an extension.
When asked by Football Insider‘s Dylan Childs for his reaction to Villa rejecting multiple bids for Luiz, Campbell said: “It shows how far Villa have come recently.
“Steven Gerrard has a squad there that he wants to work with. There is a lot of top players in there.
“When you look at it, Spurs are a rival. If Villa have ambitions of getting into Europe in the near future then they should not be selling one of their best players to Spurs, or Arsenal for that matter.
“I’m sure it is a situation that will arise again in the summer but at least then Villa can sign a replacement.
“It is not a deal they would have been willing to do in January.”
In other news, a pundit has claimed Aston Villa have the ‘finances in place’ to offer star player new deal after journalist’s update.