Chelsea have joined Manchester City in enquiring about the availability of Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, it has been revealed.

Luiz has struggled for minutes since his £42.4m move to Juventus in the summer and the former Aston Villa midfielder has long been linked with a return to the Premier League. Those rumours ramped up earlier this week with the revelation that City, another of Luiz’s former employers, were considering a move for the Brazilian.

Meanwhile, Juventus are working on new signings of their own and director Cristiano Giuntoli was recently in London for talks with Chelsea over Portugal international Renato Veiga and, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, it was during this meeting that the Blues made known their interest in Luiz.

Chelsea are exploring their options in midfield after Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia both picked up injuries, with the latter potentially facing an extended spell on the sidelines, and a potential loan move for Luiz was suggested.

The Telegraph add Chelsea’s enquiry was entertained by Juventus, but the Serie A side’s demands of a commitment to a permanent transfer at the end of the season have scuppered a potential deal.

Negotiations over Veiga’s future continue, but Gianluca Di Marzio claims the 21-year-old’s demands are currently too high for Juventus, who have been quoted a fee of around £5m just to take Veiga on loan.

Chelsea want close to £20m to part ways with Veiga permanently, with Lazio also exploring a deal as part of their attempts to sign Cesare Casadei this month.

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