Douglas Luiz - Confirmed confirmed

[LeeB]

Yeah, but if like you say they buy him back to sell him on for more, I'm saying we could pay if we wanted to, and buy him outright.

[Drummond]

If City activate the buyback clause, does it mean he has to go back there regardless of whether he wants to or not? You’d have to assume he probably would want to go back, as he’d likely be having a tilt at the champs league with City. But we might have a decent season and he may want to stay. What happens then?

We have no control.  .

How do you know that?

Know what?

The control bit?

[Villatillidie25]

Yeah, but if like you say they buy him back to sell him on for more, I'm saying we could pay if we wanted to, and buy him outright.

Valid. Maybe if he doesn’t quite make the City mustard we will negotiate to remove the clause and keep him ourselves.

[frank black]

If City activate the buyback clause, does it mean he has to go back there regardless of whether he wants to or not? You’d have to assume he probably would want to go back, as he’d likely be having a tilt at the champs league with City. But we might have a decent season and he may want to stay. What happens then?

We have no control.  .

How do you know that?

Know what?

The control bit?

It’s contractual I would expect. But perhaps if he doesn’t want to go back or go back and be sold on he could object. But I’m sure he wouldn’t object unless we turn stellar. We certainly would be powerless

[Nelly]

In order to make our way to top spots in the league I think we have to accept that players who do well for us will attract interest from the current top clubs. We will lose some, as we always have. I doubt many of them had aspirations to play for Villa, it's just that we are in the Premier League again that we are an option. The key difference for me is that we now seem to have proper scouts and coaches who can replace them and actually build the squad, rather than let it be depleted. Buy low and young > sell for big money > re-invest and climb that league! I don't mean that to sound defeatist, but rather that we as a club are looking better prepared (if I'm allowed to say that word again) for all eventualities. About time.

[Brassneck]

If City activate the buyback clause, does it mean he has to go back there regardless of whether he wants to or not? You’d have to assume he probably would want to go back, as he’d likely be having a tilt at the champs league with City. But we might have a decent season and he may want to stay. What happens then?

We have no control.  .

How do you know that?

Know what?

The control bit?

It’s contractual I would expect. But perhaps if he doesn’t want to go back or go back and be sold on he could object. But I’m sure he wouldn’t object unless we turn stellar. We certainly would be powerless

Correct.  That’s what a buy out clause is.  It gives the selling club the opportunity to buy back at some point if they wish.  If Man City want him back, there’s nothing we can do to stop them activating the clause.

[Drummond]

If City activate the buyback clause, does it mean he has to go back there regardless of whether he wants to or not? You’d have to assume he probably would want to go back, as he’d likely be having a tilt at the champs league with City. But we might have a decent season and he may want to stay. What happens then?

We have no control.  .

How do you know that?

Know what?

The control bit?

It’s contractual I would expect. But perhaps if he doesn’t want to go back or go back and be sold on he could object. But I’m sure he wouldn’t object unless we turn stellar. We certainly would be powerless

Correct.  That’s what a buy out clause is.  It gives the selling club the opportunity to buy back at some point if they wish.  If Man City want him back, there’s nothing we can do to stop them activating the clause.

Well that all depends. On time-frame, numbers, what's actually in the deal, whether it's a buy back or first refusal job..

And given our other business recently, do you think we'll just have rolled over as easily as that?

[mr underhill]

In the not too distant past yes, it would have been a question of us paying City £30m before sending him back.

[KRS]

There’s surely going to be more clauses in the buy back clause that may be to our advantage. As an example, if Citeh activate the buy back clause in order to sell him on rather than keep him, and we wanted to keep him permanently, then it would be daft if we then became involved in a bidding war with other clubs so surely we’d also have a first refusal or option to buy out the buy out clause.

Another thing to consider is that Luiz can’t play for Citeh so his market value to them at the moment is significantly less than it should be. I don’t know how much they paid for him in the first place but they essentially have an asset that has a lower value because they can’t utilise it.

[four fornicholl]

Let's wait and see if he's any good. I'm an optoooooomist.

[Matt C]

I’d guess any clause is heavily in City’s favor if their recent similar examples are anything to go by.

On the upside, looks like we’re getting a very good player for a knock-down fee who would otherwise have probably been unobtainable. If ends up back at City in 12 months then he’ll have been pretty special for us. 

[Edvard Remberg]

My point is none of us know the specific details of the clause. It’s all speculation. And secondly, if Jack or Trezeguet or AEG have a brilliant year then what’s to stop Man City it anyone else coming in for them?

No, you're right, but to give the example of Jack, we managed to stop him leaving last summer.

In the case of Luiz we would be contractually obliged to sell him, and at a price we'd agreed in advance with another club.

I am not massively shitting myself over this, I'd still buy the player, but to suggest it doesn't matter when it has a legally defined impact on our future is wide of the mark.

Let's agree to revisit this in 12 months time, and see if they've called him back, and see what peoples' reactions are.

They can't just pick all good players. Some common sense will prevail (oh the ignorance)

[Villa75]

I would imagine that Man City can not get around the permit rules by arranging a straight loan deal with a PL club, or they would have done that, possibly last season.

Obviously they see this as a way around the system.

[DrGonzo]

His work permit has been granted to villa rather Thant city because we can show that he is going to be a regular starter and will improve on the players already available in his position. If he goes back to City they have to say the sa

[DrGonzo]

Sorry.... have to be able to prove the same... I.e start ahead of de Bruyne and co....   tech fail b4 not used to posting from phone!!