Manchester City, who are also keen on bringing in left-back Andrea Cambiaso during the last week of the current transfer window, are not in pole position to snatch the former Aston Villa star.
High-flying Nottingham Forest have also joined the mix for a player who didn’t quite cut the mustard during his last stint at Manchester City.
City are eager to add the 26-year-old to their ranks, and offload out-of-favour Jack Grealish, but their opening proposal with Juve was for a loan and rejected. Juventus are standing their ground by pushing for a permanent deal, which has left the door open for Forest to step up.
Forest have been a surprise this season, and could repeat Leicester City’s remarkable 2015/16 feat of being long-shots to claim the coveted EPL crown should Liverpool wobble.
Luiz, who only left the EPL six months ago, has failed to live up to his billing under Juventus head coach Thiago Motta. It’s been an underwhelming season all round for the Bianconeri, despite only losing one Serie A game out of 22 contests.
City, who Luiz used to represent, have struggled since they lost super talented midfielder Rodri to injury as he brilliantly protected their usually solid defensive backline.
The current midfield pair of Mateo Kovacic and Bernardo Silva have frequently been exposed during this campaign. On top of their defensive failings, the pair have not been able to create the scoring chances that Rodri managed to generate with aplomb.
Due to the imbalance at City, head coach Pep Guardiola has been strengthening his squad with Luiz high on his list of priorities.
A deal to return to the Etihad Stadium is only likely to materialise if City and Juventus can agree a loan with an obligation to buy.
Forest, who have generally been formidable under former Tottenham and Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo, are also in the frame to snatch Luiz.
The EPL surprise package this term are reportedly more committed than City to making Luiz a permanent transfer, which would suit Juventus.
Luiz only joined Juve from Villas in June, in a €50million ($52.1m) deal, but his value has plummeted since and a return to England seems imminent.