Man City push to re-sign £42m ace they sold in 2019 as French side frontrunners to land wantaway Man Utd star

Mancheser City are claimed to be plotting a stunning loan move to re-sign central midfielder Douglas Luiz from Juventus in the January transfer window.

The reigning champions have been one of the busiest teams in the window and have already confirmed defensive additions in the form of Abdukodir Khusanov from RC Lens and Vitor Reis from Brazilian outfit Palmerias.

Highly-rated Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush has also arrived for a medical in Manchester ahead of a blockbuster £70m move from Eintracht Frankfurt and is expected to be a direct replacement for Julian Alvarez after his mega move to Atletico Madrid over the summer.

However, the one big hole that still remains in City’s squad is a player to fill the void left by long-term absentee and midfield lynchpin Rodri after his ACL injury. The Sky Blues have struggled to hit form since the Ballon d’Or winner's injury and have now turned their attention to a familiar face in Brazilian international Luiz.

Could Douglas Luiz return to Manchester City?

Douglas Luiz first arrived at City in 2017 after an impressive breakthrough campaign with local side Vasco de Gama out in Brazil. Luiz was still a teenager at the time and with the likes of Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan and Yaya Toure all ahead of Luiz in the pecking order, City sent the Brazilian out on loan to Spanish side Girona where he would enjoy two successful seasons.

Despite impressing in Spain, he was sold to Aston Villa for a reported £15m in 2019, in a deal which would prove incredibly fruitful for then manager Dean Smith, who was able to fend off the threat of relegation. Luiz racked up 204 appearances for Villa over the course of five seasons and was a near ever present for half a decade as the team rose from relegation battlers to become a Champions League side.

The 26-year-old was a firm fan favourite at Villa Park, but due to the threat of FFP, was sold to Juventus for £42m over the summer. However, after limited game time and a frustrating start in Italy, Football Insider now understands City are keen to re-sign the midfielder on a six-month loan deal.

Juventus, however, are understood to be wanting a deal which includes a permanent obligation at the end of the season - something which Manchester City are not keen to agree to at this stage.

AS Monaco new frontrunners for Marcus Rashford

Marcus Rashford’s future at Manchester United has been one of the standout talking points of this transfer window, with the likes of AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and even West Ham all being heavily linked with the England international along with various clubs in Saudi Arabia.

Rashford is thought to be keen on remaining in Europe at this stage in his career, but has admitted publicly that he is open to leaving Manchester United in the near future.

As it stands, reports from Sun Sport understand AS Monaco are the new frontrunners to sign Rashford on loan, with the outlet claiming that the French side are one of the few teams with the finances to pay the 27-year-old’s full wage demands. However, Rashford is reportedly open to staying at United and fighting for his place if he cannot get a move away.