Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz is attracting significant interest ahead of the January transfer window.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that Jose Mourinho's AS Roma side are interested in signing the 23-year-old during the upcoming winter market.

However, the report does go on to suggest that Steven Gerrard's arrival at Villa Park could well have modified Aston Villa's stance regarding the player's future, with previous reports suggesting that Dean Smith was open to parting with the Brazil international this summer.

Finally, it is claimed that, in order for the Premier League side to begin considering the sale of Douglas Luiz, a fee of €35m (£30m) would be required, something that would also prove to be a stumbling block for the Serie A side.

NSWE must avoid disaster

Considering just how impressive Douglas Luiz has been for Aston Villa so far this season, the argument that selling the defensive midfielder would be something of a disaster for NSWE is a rather easy one to make.

Indeed, over his eight Premier League appearances this term, the £31.5m-rated man has registered two assists, created one big chance for his teammates and has made an average of 1.6 key passes per game.

The player who Gianni Di Marzio dubbed as "like Miralem Pjanic" has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 0.8 clearances and winning five tackles per fixture.

These returns have seen the £52k-per-week Brazilian average a SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Villa's second-best performer in the top flight.

As such, considering his obvious ability both in front of the defence as well as going forwards, it would seem highly likely that Douglas Luiz is a player who Steven Gerrard will build his favoured three-man midfield around at Villa Park, meaning the 23-year-old's sale in January would undoubtedly be something that would leave the 41-year-old fuming.

In other news: Mings 2.0: Gerrard must seal AVFC deal for 6ft6 colossus who's "excellent on the ball"