Romano deals another HAMMER BLOW to Pep and Man City

Fabrizio Romano has ruled out a January transfer of Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, who has been associated with a return to Manchester City.

The Brazilian is enduring a difficult time in Turin. He joined the club in a major deal from Aston Villa in the summer but struggled to find his feet before being sidelined by an injury.

Luiz did not leave a particularly good impression on head coach Thiago Motta in pre-season and failed to perform up to his usual standards when given a rare chance by the boss.

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He gave away penalties in back-to-back games against Leipzig and Cagliari and has now been out of action for over a month due to injury. All of this has given rise to speculation that he could already jump ship in January, especially with Juventus looking to raise funds to bolster their defence and No.9 position.

Luiz won’t move

Man City have been linked with a move for their former prospect, who never actually played for them due to work permit issues. There is a good case to be made that Luiz could be an ideal wildcard replacement for injured star midfielder Rodri.

City certainly need reinforcements in the winter as they are currently in dire form without their midfield dynamo and they look a team completely bereft of confidence and ideas.

READ MORE: Douglas Luiz – Man City’s wildcard Rodri replacement?

Unfortunately, Luiz won’t be the man to solve their issues. According to Fabrizio Romano, the 26-year-old is not considering a January exit from Juventus. Luiz is fully focused on recovering from his injury and then fighting for a place in the Bianconeri’s side.

Man City will have to look elsewhere for a potential solution. They have also been associated with Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi and Samuele Ricci who plays his football for Juventus’ city rivals Torino.