According to 90min, Manchester City are interested in re-signing Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz.

What's the story?

Since signing him for a reported £15m back in the summer of 2019, Luiz has established himself as a mainstay of Dean Smith's side, and his impressive performances have even earned him his first caps for Brazil.

But with City holding a buy-back clause in the deal that initially took him to Villa Park, there has always been that lingering doubt that Pep Guardiola could come calling.

And as per 90min, that day could be soon. It's suggested that the former Premier League champions are giving "serious thought" to exercising that buy-back clause in 2021, and that with an ageing midfield in the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Fernandinho, they understand a need to potentially rebuild.

Heartbreak for Dean Smith

Make no mistake about it, Luiz is one of the first names on the team-sheet for Smith at Villa Park. The Brazilian is a permanent fixture in the engine room, playing every single Premier League game this season, and journalist Gregg Evans was quick to wax lyrical about his huge development over the summer.

Speaking after his display against Manchester United, Evans said: "He’s an absolute joy to watch now and I never thought I would be saying that. Villa have got a fantastic player in Douglas Luiz now, he looks like an absolute star, he could have played in that Man United team.

“He was better than (Paul) Pogba, I thought. I thought he was brilliant, hardly did anything wrong, hardly put a foot wrong. He won so many interceptions and made so many important blocks. When he gets the ball, he passes it nicely. He’s the best player in that Villa team at the moment because it’s just not working for John McGinn."

Whilst Villa may be worried about some of the Premier League's big hitters coming in for Jack Grealish, they should also be just as worried about City poaching Luiz.