Juventus announces its first summer deals in preparation for the new season

On Sunday, Italian football club Juventus signed Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz from English club Aston Villa in a five-year deal valued at $53.5 million.

Luiz, who scored 22 goals in 204 matches with Aston Villa, passed the routine medical examination while he was with his country’s national team, which is competing in the Copa America competition, before his transfer to the “Old Lady” team was officially announced.

"I'm very happy to be a Bianconero," Luiz said in a video clip on social media. "I can't wait to play at Allianz Stadium. See you soon!"

For his part, Aston Villa officially confirmed Luiz's departure and said on its official website: "Aston Villa can confirm that Douglas Luiz has joined Juventus."

This is the first deal Juventus has concluded during the current summer transfer period to support the squad of the team's new Italian coach Thiago Motta in preparation for the new season.

Luiz, who won the gold medal with the Brazilian national team at the Tokyo Olympics, was chosen as Aston Villa's best player for the 2022-2023 season, but Villa's need to comply with the rules of profit and sustainability in the English Premier League forced Spanish coach Unai Emery to agree to sell his Brazilian star.

It is noteworthy that Luiz joined Aston Villa from Manchester City in 2019 and contributed greatly to his team finishing fourth in the English Premier League last season and qualifying for the Champions League.