Aston Villa reject Arsenal's third and final bid of £25m for midfielder Douglas Lewis.transfer center news

Aston Villa have rejected Arsenal’s third and final £25million offer for midfielder Douglas Lewis.

Arsenal have also seen Villa’s rejections of £20m and £23m bids on Thursday and even Villa’s acquisition of Leander Dendoncker from Wolves is unlikely to change their position on the Brazilian. I didn’t.

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants the player and has worked with him at Manchester City. Lewis, whose contract expires next summer, wants to play for a Champions League club.

Liverpool and Atletico Madrid also made moves for him on Wednesday. Juventus were also interested. He can speak to foreign clubs like Atlético and Juventus from November 18, before leaving as a free agent next summer.

Arsenal beat Aston Villa 2-1 on Wednesday night, but despite a perfect five-to-five start to the season, Arteta struggled to beat him in the middle of the park after a string of injuries. He admitted that he was wary of the strength of the depth.

On the possibility of Arsenal moving to Deadline Day after the game, he said: [Mohamed Elneny’s injury] Thomas Partey is injured and the position is a little short, so there is an impact.

“We have Albert Sambi Lokonga and Granit Xhaka who can play there.

“We are only looking at market options.As I said, the club have been very supportive in continuing to improve the team and team as much as possible. Yes, and if you can do it, try it.”

Gerard: Lewis understands Villa’s position for sale

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard says Douglas Lewis has “understood” why the club chose not to sell him in the final days of the transfer window.

Asked on Friday if the transfer narrative would affect his performance, Gerrard said: “He’s a very important player, a top player and he’s late in the window. From my point of view, I support the club’s decision and its stance on it.

“I spoke to Douglas yesterday and he understood where it was and the position the club was in. He respected the decision. will do.

Bellerin joins Barcelona from Arsenal

Barcelona have completed a free deal for Arsenal right-back Héctor Bellerin.

Bellerin, who started his career at Barça, signed a one-year contract at the Camp Nou, but Arsenal included a sale clause in the deal.

He joined the Arsenal Academy as a teenager in 2011 and has made 239 appearances for the Gunners since his debut in 2014.

The 27-year-old made his final appearance for Arsenal in May 2021, in a 1-0 win over Chelsea, before being loaned out to Copa del Rey winners Real Betis last season.