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Exit-linked Juventus star skips training as London rivals circle, Tottenham keen on summer deal

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Rohan Sengupta | Last updated Jul 24, 2025 7:15 PM ET

West Ham are working hard to sign Tottenham Hotspur-linked Juventus outcast Douglas Luiz

Over the last few weeks, it has emerged that Tottenham Hotspur are keen on signing a quality No.6 before the start of the 2025/26 season.

Joao Palhinha of Bayern Munich has emerged as a target, and Spurs have made a loan enquiry about him. However, Bayern Munich are not willing to sanction a loan move for the 30-year-old, who barely made an impact in Vincent Kompany’s Bundesliga-winning side last term. So, the Lilywhites have to spend a decent fee to sign Palhinha, but before that, they must make space in the squad.

In addition to Palhinha, the North Londoners are also thought to have their eye on another former Premier League star. That player is none other than Douglas Luiz.

Douglas Luiz signed a five-year deal with Juventus last July, following his influential role in Aston Villa’s qualification for the Champions League for the first time in over four decades. However, the move has not quite worked out for the central midfielder. He ended up making only 19 Serie A appearances, owing to a combination of intense competition and injury issues.

Now, the Brazilian is looking to leave Juventus after just one year and heading back to the Premier League.

Douglas Luiz skips Juventus training as West Ham accelerate transfer pursuit

According to an exclusive report from TBR Football, Douglas Luiz skipped training with Juventus on Thursday with West Ham United pushing hard behind the scenes to sign him.

The Hammers are trying to agree a loan move for the midfielder with an option to make the deal permanent in 2026. However, Luiz is keen on a move to Tottenham, and Fabio Paratici, whose 30-month suspension is finally over and is now available to return to work, has links to both Spurs and Juventus and is well aware of the player’s situation.

This means West Ham are not going to find it easy to sign the 27-year-old following the player’s desire to join Thomas Frank’s forces at Tottenham.

Tottenham must beat West Ham to the Juventus outcast’s signing

Tottenham have raided West Ham for Mohammed Kudus earlier this month, and could cause further setback to their hopes of rebuilding the squad by snatching Luiz under their noses.

Comfortable playing both as a No.6 and 8, Luiz could be an excellent signing for Spurs. He was one of the coveted midfielders during his four-year spell at Aston Villa, thanks to his technical ability, work rate, vision and goalscoring ability. In addition, the South American is also a tenacious tackler and ball-winner, which makes him the perfect fit to operate in Frank’s 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 system.

With Juventus ready to move him on, the Lilywhites must intensify their efforts to sign Luiz. After Kudus’ acquisition, beating West Ham to the Brazil international’s signature would leave the London Stadium faithful incensed.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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