Aston Villa have brought Douglas Luiz back to Villa Park on loan for the rest of the 2025-26 campaign, after Juventus ended the midfielder’s temporary spell at Nottingham Forest. The move gives Unai Emery
extra cover in central midfield, where injuries to Youri Tielemans and John McGinn have reduced options.
Luiz is the second familiar face to rejoin Aston Villa this week. The club earlier completed a 21m (18.25m) transfer to re-sign striker Tammy Abraham from Besiktas. Both arrivals are intended to strengthen the squad across the second half of the Premier League season.
Douglas Luiz first joined Aston Villa from Manchester City in July 2019, soon after Villa’s promotion back to the Premier League. Across five seasons, Luiz helped Aston Villa stabilise in the top division and regularly compete for European qualification, highlighted by a fourth-placed league finish in the 2023-24 campaign.
During that 2023-24 season, Luiz scored 10 goals and supplied 10 assists in all competitions for Aston Villa. Luiz was voted Player of the Season by both team-mates and supporters after that campaign, underlining Luiz’s influence in midfield before a high-profile transfer away from the club later that summer.
Following that standout year, Douglas Luiz left Aston Villa for Juventus in a transfer worth over 50m (43m). Reports in England stated Aston Villa needed a substantial sale at that stage to remain within the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations.
| Club | Season | Move type | Reported fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 2019-2024 | Permanent | Undisclosed | Joined from Manchester City after promotion |
| Juventus | 2024-2025 | Permanent | Over 50m (43m) | Sale helped Aston Villa with PSR rules |
| Nottingham Forest | 2025-2026 | Loan | Undisclosed | Juventus terminated loan in January 2026 |
| Aston Villa | 2025-2026 | Loan | Undisclosed | Returns to work again under Unai Emery |
Douglas Luiz found regular minutes difficult to secure in Turin, leading Juventus to send Luiz on loan to Nottingham Forest at the start of this season. Luiz made 14 appearances in all competitions for Forest before Juventus decided to cut short the agreement at the City Ground.
Dougie and The Boss reunited pic.twitter.com/6YikbrzsHu Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 28, 2026
The Brazilian midfielder now re-joins Unai Emery’s Aston Villa squad for the remainder of 2025-26, adding experience and familiarity in a key area of the pitch. With Luiz and Tammy Abraham both back, Aston Villa restore depth while continuing their push in domestic and European competitions.
