Edu sent Douglas Luiz wakeup call as Serie A giants prepare to hijack £25m Arsenal transfer plan

 Arsenal almost signed Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa in the summer and Edu could miss out on the midfielder once again in the January transfer window

Arsenal could face serious competition from Italy for the signing of Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz (Image: Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

Arsenal are set to lose ground in the race to sign Douglas Luiz in the January transfer window, according to reports. The 24-year-old was heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium in the summer having entered the final year of his deal with Aston Villa.understand that the Gunners had been monitoring Luiz before tabling a bid which was thought to be in the region of £25million. Mikel Arteta's side submitted three bids for the Brazil international after learning that Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey would be absent in the early stages of the Premier League season due to injury.

Despite Arsenal's seemingly strong interest in the midfielder, a deal failed to materialise and the race to acquire Luiz has been blown open. And, it's believed that clubs from Italy are ready to jump the queue and complete a deal.

According to Roma Giallorossa, as quoted by Sport Witness, Roma 'could make the first move' for Luiz in January, with general manager Tiago Pinto viewing the Brazilian as a priority. The report credits Juventus and AC Milan with interest in the midfielder but Jose Mourinho's side are ready to 'entice' Villa.

Steven Gerrard was quizzed on the club's decision to not cash-in on Luiz, with the midfielder set to leave for free in the summer - or be available for a cut-price in January. Speaking earlier this season, the former Liverpool midfielder said: "I’ve got confidence that he’ll understand the situation and the club’s decision.

We didn’t want to lose a very important player and a top player so late in the window," Gerrard added. "From a personal point of view I very much back the club’s stance on that.

"I spoke to him face-to-face yesterday and he understood where we were at and the position the club was in. He very much respects the decision so hopefully it will calm down in the hours and days to follow and he’ll be fine moving forward."

After failing to meet Villa's asking price, Arsenal now face missing out on a top target. With a wave of injuries flushing through London Colney amid a congested fixture schedule, Arteta could be left to rue the decision.