Steven Gerrard nurturing Liverpool’s Fabinho successor but Arsenal could beat Reds to star

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Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard might just lend a hand to his old club Liverpool with his coaching of Douglas Luiz. The midfielder could fulfil Fabinho’s duties as a long-term successor but Arsenal are desperate to sign the Brazilian.

Aston Villa might have to contest bids for Douglas Luiz in the summer with plenty of interest in his services.

But Steven Gerrard might have inadvertently made up Liverpool’s mind as one day they will have to look for a successor to Fabinho.

There is no indication that the Reds will sell the Brazilian, quite the opposite, but the midfielder will have to be replaced at some point.

And there might not be a better option than his countryman Luiz at Villa, who has had a sensational campaign.

The former Manchester City ace has been one of the better performers at the Birmingham outfit this season.

Arsenal and Tottenham tried to snap the 23-year-old up in the January transfer window but Villa held firm and rejected all bids.

But that resolve will be tested again in the summer, especially considering the defensive midfielder’s contract will be entering its final 12 months.

It means that Villa will likely have to sell to avoid losing him for nothing while Brighton’s Yves Bissouma has already been targeted to replace him.

However, Liverpool might find that they will need a player of Luiz’s quality soon while Jurgen Klopp often likes his new arrivals to have a period of settling in before becoming key players.

And with Fabinho, the Villa star would not find many better players to learn his trade from in the Premier League.

But they will have to act fast with Mikel Arteta definitely interested in Luiz while Gerrard would rather his old club take on the midfielder than their London rivals.

While speculation will continue to spread, Gerrard has revealed that he is keen to take the Brazil international to the next level.

“No, we haven’t opened contract talks yet with Douglas,” he said when asked about his contract situation.

“Dougie has done okay for us. We’ve been happy with his training level and the performances that he has given.

“We still think that there’s room for him to get better and improve. You know, he had a bit of an injury when we first arrived and we still think there’s another gear or two for Dougie to go into.”

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