Aston Villa’s 2025-26 campaign was one that snuck below some of the bigger storylines that had encompassed the Premier League, with the departure of the likes of Pep Guardiola, Mo Salah, and action at both the bottom and top of the table capturing the eyes of the world.

The Villans managed to put together quite the season, finishing well within the Champions League spots, which would become irrelevant given their triumph in the Europa League, lifting the iconic trophy over SC Freiburg, adding new silverware to their cabinet for the first time since 1996.

While not being the most impactful player on the pitch, Unai Emery was certainly helped out by the presence of veteran midfielder Douglas Luiz, who returned to Villa Park on loan from Juventus.

During his loan spell with Aston Villa, Luiz would make 20 appearances, recording a single goal and assist across his 881 minutes on the pitch. The Brazilian’s efforts weren’t just reflected in his offensive metrics, as he would commit 12 interceptions and win 16 tackles, managing to become quite the pest in the midfield for his opponents.

Aston Villa are sending Luiz back to Italy

While Luiz’s loan deal had an option for the Villans to make the move permanent for a price tag of € 25 million, it appears that they won’t be pulling the trigger to bring the Brazilian back to the West Midlands, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.

This means that, as things stand, Luiz will make his way back to Italy for the foreseeable future, to a team in which he has never really shone. In his first two years at the Italian giants, the Brazilian only took to the pitch for 27 games.