Newcastle summer target Douglas Luiz signs new Aston Villa contract

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Newcastle United were linked with signing Douglas Luiz during the summer, but he has now agreed a new contract with Aston Villa.

The Brazilian midfielder was in the final 12 months of his deal, meaning Villa were in a situation where they could have lost one of their top players for nothing next summer.

Alternatively, various clubs were keen to get him on a cut price deal. Newcastle were linked with the 24-year-old, with the Daily Mail claiming on August 31st that they were interested in a deal before the transfer window closed.

However, that didn’t happen. No one was able to sign Luiz, despite multiple attempts from Arsenal.

Now it looks like his future will be at Villa Park. They have confirmed that Luiz has signed a new long-term deal to remain an Aston Villa player.

That should end all speculation of him moving to St James’ Park. He has been linked a few times since the change of ownership, with a report in January speculating that he could join Eddie Howe’s side.

Douglas Luiz’s new contract means Newcastle will likely look elsewhere

However, a move to Newcastle now seems incredibly unlikely. Luiz’s new contract means his value will have shot up, which won’t appeal to Dan Ashworth and co. He was likely a target because of his ability and his potential for a bargain deal.

But now the possibility of a bargain has gone, so the Magpies will surely turn their attention elsewhere. That is a shame, as the former Manchester City man is a very good player. He was recently called a ‘fantastic talent‘ by Steven Gerrard.

While Luiz probably isn’t on his way, someone else might be.

Howe was keen for a midfielder to arrive in the summer but failed to get one. Now it looks like that position will be addressed in January.

Plenty of names have been linked, including Leicester’s Youri Tielemans. He is in a similar situation to what Luiz was in, with his contract expiring next summer.

He is yet to sign an extension like Luiz has, meaning he could be available for a relatively modest fee when January comes around.

Another target is 18-year-old Andrey Santos, who Newcastle are reportedly confident about signing. He is a lot younger than the likes of Luiz and Tielemans, but has a huge amount of potential. Brazil legend Juninho Pernambucano even thinks he could be better than he was.

But while Newcastle ponder moves for Tielemans and Santos, they can cross Douglas Luiz off of their list of targets.