According to the Sunday Express, Arsenal are leading the race to sign Chelsea centre-back David Luiz as Arsene Wenger apparently wants to add another defender.
Luiz has not made a Premier League appearance since Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth at the end of October due to a knee injury, although reports suggest that he has fallen out with Antonio Conte.
The Brazilian is a favorite of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, and it was Abramovich who was behind Luiz’s dramatic return to Stamford Bridge from PSG 18 months ago.
But with Andreas Christensen’s emergence as the defensive lynchpin at the heart of Chelsea’s three-man defence, Luiz is struggling to get into the team, and with Russia World Cup 2018 looming on the horizon, Luiz might push for a January deal to ensure his place in Brazil’s World Cup starting XI.
Serie A champions Juventus have been credited with an interest in Luiz, but Arsenal are said to be favorites to sign the defender this month.
While any deal may be complicated by Chelsea’s reluctance to sell to a Premier League rival, if the deal does go through, questions will be asked about who is making the transfer decisions at the Emirates? David Luiz is many things, but he is not an Arsene Wenger type of player.
If the deal goes through, it could indicate that for the first time in two decades Arsene Wenger is not in charge of Arsenal’s transfer policy.
