A former Premier League star is reportedly set to be punished after playing hooky from Juventus training.
The Brazilian star failed to materialise at training on Thursday amid reported interest from three Premier League clubs.
Douglas Luiz, who used to play for Aston Villa, will face disciplinary action from his Serie A employers, according to The Athletic.
Luiz joined Juventus from Villa in a £42million deal last summer but failed to make himself a regular under Thiago Motta in an injury-hit year.
He was Villa’s player of the season in 2022-23, then backed that up with 10 goals and as many assists in 2023-24.
However, he has failed to make a mark in either column in Turin.
Douglas Luiz is reportedly set to be punished for failing to report to Juventus training
The former Aston Villa star had a difficult season with Juventus and could leave this summer
He reportedly split from his girlfriend Alisha Lehmann, who also plays for the Italian giants
His time in Italy could be up imminently if reports of Premier League clubs’ interest in the midfielder are accurate.
Journalist Giovanni Albanese claims that West Ham, Everton, and Liverpool have all been interested in him over the course of the summer.
Juventus are expected to seek around £35m for him.
In January, Mail Sport reported that Manchester City were also considering him as an option.
Luiz was on City’s books between 2017 and 2019 but failed to make an appearance due to work permit complications.
It has been a stormy year off the field for Luiz, who reportedly split from his footballer girlfriend Alisha Lehmann in May over different visions for their futures.
They first began dating in 2021 before they broke up a year later and rekindled at the start of 2024.
Since then, the couple had enjoyed a close relationship and both sealed a move to Italian giants Juventus during the summer window last year.
Luiz spent five seasons with Aston Villa and was their player of the year in the 2022-23 season
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Lehmann and Luiz split some time ago and the pair are seen having different futures with Juventus, with the former expected to stay while the latter may leave.
Luiz only played once during Juventus’ Club World Cup campaign, which lasted four games, and that was as a second-half substitute in their first match against Emirati side Al Ain – when the Italians were already 4-0 up.
Villa were reluctant to sell him in the first place but their hand was forced by their need to sell somebody for substantial profit to avoid breaching Premier League profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).
