Why Aston Villa sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus

One of the most significant moves of the summer transfer window was Douglas Luiz’s €50 million transfer from Aston Villa to Juventus.

This high-profile deal was made possible in part by the sales of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea, who moved in the opposite direction.

The transfer has raised questions about why Aston Villa decided to part ways with one of their key players.

The sale of Douglas Luiz was primarily driven by financial regulations imposed by the Premier League. To comply with the Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), English clubs must ensure their losses do not exceed €105 million over a three-year period.

Aston Villa, facing potential financial penalties, needed to make significant cuts to avoid breaching these regulations.

Damian Vidagany, the Football Director of Aston Villa, shed light on the rationale behind the decision. In his statement, Vidagany revealed the urgency of the situation:

“At the end of the season, we had to sell players to avoid violating the PSR. While the period from May 20 to June 30 is typically festive in football, it was anything but for us.

We had to find a solution to a problem from the past. In previous years, we managed this by selling Jack Grealish. As soon as the season ended, while everyone celebrated the Champions League, Monchi and I were already focused on avoiding a potential penalty.

It felt like we were defusing a bomb, racing against the clock. We resolved the issue at the last minute, balancing the challenge of solving the problem while building the best possible team for the upcoming season,” Vidagany told Calciomercato.com.

The sale of Douglas Luiz was a strategic move for Aston Villa to stay within the financial rules and maintain their competitive edge. Juventus, on the other hand, has gained a valuable asset to bolster their squad for the new season.