Douglas Luiz is poised to complete a loan switch back to Aston Villa, beating Chelsea to secure the Brazilian midfielder's signature.
The two clubs have reached an agreement in principle, with negotiations over the finer details currently underway.
His temporary spell at Nottingham Forest, where the 27-year-old has struggled for regular game time, will be terminated to facilitate the move.
Villa saw off competition from both the Blues and several Spanish clubs to bring Luiz back to Villa Park, where he previously featured 204 times during a five-year stint between 2019 and 2024.
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Unai Emery's mounting injury concerns in the middle of the park have driven Villa to fast-track their pursuit of the midfielder.
Youri Tielemans faces time on the sidelines after undergoing a second assessment on an ankle problem, which prompted the club to step up their efforts.
The Belgian setback compounds an already difficult situation, with John McGinn expected to miss approximately six weeks of action.
Boubacar Kamara's season is effectively over due to injury, leaving Villa desperately short of options in central midfield.
Unai Emery's mounting injury concerns in the middle of the park have driven Villa to fast-track their pursuit of the midfielder
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Ross Barkley is making progress in his recovery, but the third-placed side requires additional experienced reinforcements to sustain their title challenge.
Villa parted ways with Luiz in 2024, selling him to Juventus for £42.5million as part of efforts to address profit and sustainability requirements.
However, the midfielder never established himself in Serie A.
He returned to the Premier League, joining Forest on a temporary basis, where opportunities remained limited.
Douglas Luiz is poised to complete a loan switch back to Aston Villa
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His temporary spell at Nottingham Forest will be terminated to facilitate the move
|GETTY
He missed the club's 2-0 victory at Brentford over the weekend, with manager Sean Dyche attributing his absence to illness.
Luiz scoring 22 goals and providing 24 assists across all competitions.
His best season was the 2023-24 Premier League campaign, in which he recorded 9 goals and 5 assists in 35 appearances.
Villa's next match is in the Europa League against RB Salzburg on Thursday, January 29.
Villa parted ways with Luiz in 2024, selling him to Juventus
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They will then be back in action in the Premier League on Sunday, February 1, when the West Midlands host Brentford.
Chelsea had also explored bringing Luiz to Stamford Bridge, amid the west London club's own midfield difficulties.
Romeo Lavia has been absent since early November with no return date confirmed.
Dario Essugo is also sidelined for around a month.
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