LONDON – Aston Villa have signed Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz from champions Manchester City for an undisclosed fee, the promoted Premier League club have said.
Villa did not give financial details but the BBC reported the deal for the 21-year-old was worth 15 million pounds ($18.66 million) which took their close season spending past 100 million pounds for 10 new players.
“Douglas is an extremely talented young player with an outstanding pedigree who I am sure will fit nicely into our style and system of play,” Villa boss Dean Smith said.
We are delighted to confirm the signing of Douglas Luiz from Manchester City, subject to a work permit. ✍
👉 https://t.co/UvIoseTarS #WelcomeLuiz #ThursdayMotivation #AVFC pic.twitter.com/mLDTUoJeWo
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 25, 2019
Luiz, who came through the ranks at hometown club Vasco da Gama, joined City in 2017 but never played for Pep Guardiola's side, spending the last two seasons on loan in Spain's Girona.
Villa, who are preparing for their first season back in the English top flight since 2016, visit Tottenham Hotspur in their opening league fixture on Aug. 10.