Douglas Luiz has reportedly sent a clear message that he wants out of Juventus amid claims of a potential return to the Premier League.
La Gazzetta dello Sport report that Luiz was the only Juventus player who did not report back to pre-season training with the rest of the squad on Thursday.
Juve have got off to a late start to their summer preparations following their involvement in the Club World Cup in the United States.
Douglas Luiz alerts Premier League clubs to availability
La Gazzetta add that Luiz's absence was not excused in advance and that he now faces disciplinary action from the club.
That has heightened the feeling that Luiz's Juventus spell is set to come to an end, with the club said to have set a €40m (£34.9m) asking price for his services.
The report goes on to claim that Everton, Liverpool and West Ham United have all enquired about Luiz.
The Brazilian spent five seasons at Aston Villa after joining from Vasco de Gama in 2019, making 204 appearances in all competitions.
Luiz had a particularly standout campaign as he helped Villa qualify for the Champions League in 2023/24, contributing nine goals and five assists to the cause.
However, his move to Juventus has not particularly worked out for him and he has struggled to nail down a place in the side in between a couple of injury problems.
The midfielder started just three Serie A games last season, with another 16 outings from the bench, and played just 877 minutes in total in all competitions.
At 27 years-old, Luiz should now be in his prime years and will understandably want a more prominent role elsewhere.
That being the case, the Liverpool link feels slightly odd to us at FourFourTwo, especially at a time when Harvey Elliott continues to be linked with a move away having struggled to get game time in Arne Slot's midfield.
Florian Wirtz - who became the most expensive signing in British transfer history - has already arrived at Anfield in a massive-money move to bring more competition in the centre of the park.
While there's a case to made that Liverpool could do with more strength in depth as they look to better compete in multiple competitions this season, a move there may not give Luiz a regular starting place if that is what he craves.
That would be virtually assured at either Everton or West Ham, however, and a €40m fee for a proven Premier League midfielder who provides goals and assists is not too hefty these days.
Both sides struggled to work the ball into the net last season, both scoring fewer than 50 goals over the campaign. The only other sides with such a paltry return were Manchester United and the three relegated teams: Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton.
