Manchester City want Douglas Luiz work permit in order to fill midfield gap

The young Brazilian was signed from Vasco da Gama during the summer of 2017

Manchester City are attempting to obtain a work permit for young midfielder Douglas Luiz in order to provide cover for Fernandinho this season.

City have so far failed to add depth to their midfield during this summer’s transfer window, having missed out on Jorginho, their primary target.

Jorginho, however, joined up with his former Napoli manager Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea, who play City in the Community Shield at Wembley on Sunday.

City’s squad still lacks options in the middle of the park and there is precious little cover for the 33-year-old Fernandinho, who played almost 4,000 minutes last season.

Guardiola believes Luiz, a young midfielder signed from Vasco da Gama last year, can offer an alternative after impressing in the club’s pre-season friendlies.

“We would like [him],” Guardiola said. “He’s no visa, work permit, but we will try to convince the federation to allow him to stay.

“I think he has potential to stay and improve, we saw it [in recent friendlies] against Dortmund and Bayern Munich. A lot depends on him and us.”

Luiz spent last season on loan at Girona, and though he made 17 appearances, most came from the substitutes’ bench.

The 20-year-old made just one La Liga start and managed only 450 minutes of football across all competitions. Guardiola, however, is sure that Luiz is ready to step up to the plate.

“Yes, he’s ready to play, that’s why we want the permit,” he said. “We ask for the work permit because we believe he can play with us. Otherwise we would not be asking.”