Manchester City are interested in re-signing Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa, according to AS.

The Madrid-based publication claims that the Brazilian has been added to a shortlist of three midfielders ahead of the next transfer window.

In addition to Luiz, the Premier League champions are keeping tabs on Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes.

At the moment, it is believed Guimaraes is the top target, with Luiz’s international teammate having a £100m release clause in his contract.

However, AS claim they could face competition from Chelsea, Liverpool and even Manchester United, which could complicate negotiations.

Luiz has been the subject of bids from another Premier League rival

Arsenal reportedly made no less than three separate bids for the Aston Villa star before the transfer window closed in August 2022.

At the time, Luiz had not signed a new deal. The Gunners were hoping to pay as little as £25m to secure his services but Villa ultimately kept hold of the player, tying him down to a contract extension, and keeping him at the Midlands club until the summer of 2026.

City did have a buyback clause on the midfielder

When they sold Luiz to Villa in July 2019, it included an option that would allow the Cityzens to buy the midfielder back for £25m, but that clause expired almost three years ago.

It means that, if Pep Guardiola’s side want to take the Brazilian international back to the Etihad Stadium, they will have to pay a substantial fee to get him. Some reports have suggested that Villa would want around £100m; the same amount as Guimaraes.

AS report that City have already held talks with Guimaraes’ representatives, suggesting that they have already made up their mind about who they will go after, but things could still change ahead of this summer.