Chelsea Consider Shock Swoop To Sign Nottingham Forest’ Douglas Luiz

Chelsea are reportedly plotting a surprise move to sign Douglas Luiz on loan for the rest of the season despite struggling to make an impact at Forest.

The London club are believed to be keen to bolster their midfield ranks in the January transfer window as Liam Rosenior hopes to win a silverware and qualify for the Champions League following his appointment earlier in the month.

According to The Athletic, Luiz, who missed the start of the season due to a hamstring injury, has been identified as a good fit to Rosenior’s style of play.

Luiz joined Nottingham Forest from Serie A giants Juventus in a loan deal which includes a conditional obligation to buy based on the number of appearances he makes, with the Premier League club also holding a £26 million (€30m/$35m) option to buy if he does not hit that number.

Douglas Luiz  reacts after his goal is disallowed during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between AFC Wrexham and Nottingham Forest. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

However, the former Aston Villa midfielder has only made two league starts for Forest since manager Sean Dyche replaced Ange Postecoglou at the City Ground helm in October.

The latest update comes after Chelsea boss Rosenior revealed last week that he is in daily communication with the club’s co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart about potential new additions in January.

“I think if we do [sign a player], it needs to be the right player,” Rosenior told reporters. “We need to be patient. I want to assess this group. It’s really, really important to me.

“We still have time. We have conversations every day, myself and the board, about potential transfers, both out and in. But at the same time, I need to focus on the players in the building.

“If I feel it’s the right time or the right player, then we’ll make that decision.”

Chelsea currently have Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Andrey Santos, Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia as their midfield options, though the latter two have struggled with injuries this season.