Former Manchester City midfielder Douglas Luiz cannot be bought back by the club for a modest fee.

The Brazilian has been outstanding in the Premier League over the past 18 months.

Luiz was an Arsenal target in the summer, while he continued his red hot form with Aston Villa, scoring twice in a 4-1 win over West Ham United.

The Manchester Evening News states that any buy back clause within the deal that took Luiz to Villa expired in 2021.

In addition, City did not have a sell-on clause added to the deal, which means that Villa would pocket all the funds from a sale.

City have not been linked to Luiz in the recent past, as they are well stocked in midfield.