Aston Villa step up interest in former star amid interest from Chelsea

Aston Villa have stepped up their interest in bringing Douglas Luiz back to the club, talkSPORT understands.

Luiz would have to terminate his loan at Nottingham Forest from Juventus to return to Villa Park.

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Chelsea have also held talks about a move for the Brazilian international.

talkSPORT understands that Luiz would be open to a move to Stamford Bridge.

Luiz moved to Nottingham Forest on loan from Juventus earlier in the summer as he sought to garner regular game time.

The 27-year-old joined Juventus from Aston Villa 18 months ago in a £42.5million deal but made just 19 league appearances, of which three were starts, for the Old Lady.

The Italian powerhouse club were happy to sanction Luiz’s exit last summer with a conditional obligation to make the move permanent, though that is dependant on the player making a set number of appearances.

Luiz’s struggles for minutes at Forest

However, Luiz has struggled to break into the Forest starting XI, making just five league starts.

The Brazil international did endure a spell on the sidelines owing to a hamstring injury earlier in the season.

That said, he has made just three league starts since Sean Dyche succeeded Ange Postecoglou at the City Ground helm in October.

Forest are now considering terminating Luiz’s loan move, which would pave the way for a switch to Villa or Chelsea for the rest of the season.

It’s a far cry from his successful five-year spell at Villa Park as he helped the Villans qualify for the Champions League during his final season at the club.

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The Midlands side lost Boubacar Kamara to a season-ending knee injury earlier this month, which is a huge blow for Unai Emery’s men.

The Blues eye Luiz as a good fit for Liam Rosenior’s side given the 27-year-old’s top-flight experience.

Chelsea boss Rosenior is already able to call upon Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Andrey Santos, Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia in the middle of the park.

The latter pair, however, have struggled with injury issues this season, Essugo having made just three Club World Cup appearances since joining from Sporting Lisbon last year, while Lavia has featured in the league just four times.

The Belgian hasn’t played since suffering a quad injury in the 2-2 draw with Qarabag in November.

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Chelsea perusing the centre-back market

The Blues are also eyeing up a new centre-back before the end of the month.

Rennes youngster Jeremy Jacquet is high on the club’s wishlist and reports this week suggest that Chelsea have agreed personal terms with the 20-year-old.

Chelsea are yet to negotiate a fee with the French side for the defender.

Marcos Senesi also also a rumoured target for Chelsea, though talkSPORT understands that Bournemouth will rebuff any bids for the Argentine this month.

Barcelona and Juventus have also been credited with an interest in the 28-year-old, whose current contract expires at the end of the season.

The Cherries are desperate to tie the defender to a new deal, however Senesi has turned down multiple offers to extend his stay at the Vitality Stadium.

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Chelsea have won three of four games under Rosenior, beating Charlton, Brentford and Pafos, and face another London derby when they travel to Crystal Palace on Sunday.