Archive January 27, 2026

Luiz agrees Villa return on loan

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Nick MashiterFootball reporterNizaar KinsellaFootball reporter and Sami MokbelSenior football correspondent

Aston Villa have agreed a deal to re-sign former midfielder Douglas Luiz on loan.

The 27-year-old is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest from Juventus, but is set to leave the City Ground before Monday’s transfer deadline and join Villa.

Chelsea were also interested in the Brazil international but sources told BBC Sport his preference was Villa, where he made 204 appearances between 2019 and 2024.

The deal includes an option to buy.

Villa sold Luiz to Juventus for £42.5m in June 2024 to help solve their profit and sustainability problems, but he made just three Serie A starts before joining Forest in August 2025.

Villa boss Unai Emery is looking to bolster his midfield options, with captain John McGinn out for up to two months with a knee issue and Boubacar Kamara expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Emery’s side lost out on Conor Gallagher earlier this month after the England international opted to join Tottenham from Atletico Madrid for £35m.

Villa are third in the Premier League – four points behind leaders Arsenal – and have qualified for the Europa League last 16 with one league-phase game to spare.

Villa are also expected to complete the £18m signing of striker Tammy Abraham from Besiktas imminently after the striker had a medical in the UK.

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  • Nottingham Forest
  • Aston Villa
  • Premier League
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Luiz agrees Villa return on loan

Images courtesy of Getty
  • 262 Comments
Nick MashiterFootball reporterNizaar KinsellaFootball reporter and Sami MokbelSenior football correspondent
Former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz will be resigned on loan through the club.

The 27-year-old is currently a loanee at Nottingham Forest from Juventus, but he will leave before the transfer deadline on Monday to join Villa.

The Brazil international was also linked with Chelsea, but sources told BBC Sport that Villa, where he appeared 204 times between 2019 and 2024, was in his preferred position.

An option to purchase is included in the agreement.

Luis started just three Serie A games before joining Forest in August 2025, but Villa sold him to Juventus for £42.5 million in June of that year to help them with their profit and sustainability issues.

With John McGinn missing for up to two months with a knee issue and Boubacar Kamara expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, Villa boss Unai Emery is looking to strengthen his midfield options.

Conor Gallagher’s contract from Atletico Madrid, which Emery’s side chose, cost the England international a combined £35 million.

With just one league-phase game left, Villa are third in the Premier League, four points clear of Arsenal. They also qualified for the Europa League last 16.

Villa are also anticipated to complete Tammy Abraham’s £18 million move from Besiktas soon after the striker underwent a medical there.

related subjects

  • Nottingham Forest
  • Aston Villa
  • Premier League
  • Football

Luiz agrees Villa return on loan

Images courtesy of Getty
  • 261 Comments
Nick MashiterFootball reporterNizaar KinsellaFootball reporter and Sami MokbelSenior football correspondent
Former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz will be resigned on loan through the club.

The 27-year-old is currently a loanee at Nottingham Forest from Juventus, but he will leave before the transfer deadline on Monday to join Villa.

The Brazil international was also linked with Chelsea, but sources told BBC Sport that Villa, where he appeared 204 times between 2019 and 2024, was in his preferred position.

An option to purchase is included in the agreement.

Luis started just three Serie A games before joining Forest in August 2025, but Villa sold him to Juventus for £42.5 million in June of that year to help them with their profit and sustainability issues.

With John McGinn missing for up to two months with a knee issue and Boubacar Kamara expected to miss the rest of the season with a knee injury, Villa boss Unai Emery is looking to strengthen his midfield options.

Conor Gallagher’s contract from Atletico Madrid, which Emery’s side chose, cost the England international a combined £35 million.

With just one league-phase game left, Villa are third in the Premier League, four points clear of Arsenal. They also qualified for the Europa League last 16.

Villa are also anticipated to complete Tammy Abraham’s £18 million move from Besiktas soon after the striker underwent a medical there.

related subjects

  • Nottingham Forest
  • Aston Villa
  • Premier League
  • Football

Our Motive Is To Ensure Every Nigerian Becomes An APC Member— Nentawe Yilwatda


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The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, says the ruling party’s objective is to expand its membership across the country by showcasing what he described as effective governance.

Yilwatda stated this on Tuesday in Jos, Plateau State, during an official welcome rally organised by the APC for Governor Caleb Mutfwang.

“I can proudly say that the APC currently has 29 governors, and we are expecting more. We are not tired of welcoming everybody,” Yilwatda said.

“Our intention, our motive, our objective is to ensure that everybody in Nigeria becomes a member of the APC because we are providing the best form of governance,” he said.

He explained that the party’s growing influence was driven by performance at both federal and state levels, insisting that APC-led states were benefiting from improved revenue and economic recovery.

According to him, state governments are receiving increased revenues without excessive borrowing due to better economic management under the APC-led Federal Government.

“Every governor knows that the revenue coming to states today, without collecting loans, is a result of good governance.

“The economy is reviving. State governments are investing in infrastructure, and that is what we want across the country,” he said.

Yilwatda urged governors, lawmakers and citizens to align with President Bola Tinubu to accelerate national development.

“We want all governors, all senators and all Nigerians to partner with President Bola Tinubu to move Nigeria forward,” he stated.

The APC chairman also expressed confidence that Plateau State would eventually become a one-party state, beginning from the State House of Assembly.

“Everybody on the Plateau knows that those who are not in the APC are already a minority. The majority of local governments across the state are APC-controlled,” he said.

In a direct appeal to members of the opposition, Yilwatda described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a sinking ship and urged its members to defect.

“The PDP is drowning. We have thrown a life jacket to rescue those who want to be saved before the ship finally sinks,” he said.

Glentoran-Coleraine semi-final postponed due to storm damage


The BetMcLean Cup semi-final between Glentoran and Coleraine at the Oval has been postponed due to damage and flooding caused by Storm Chandra.

The tie was set to be played in east Belfast on Wednesday but heavy rain and wind has made the pitch unplayable.

It has been rearranged for Tuesday, 3 February and if that game cannot be played, then it will be moved to the Coleraine Showgrounds on Wednesday, 4 February.

A number of games have been called off at the Oval this season, including the Irish Premiership match between Glentoran and Cliftonville on Sunday.

Declan Devine’s side are away to Dungannon Swifts in the league on Saturday and, after the rescheduled semi-final, are next set to play at home again Drumaness Mills in the Irish Cup sixth round on 7 February.

The second BetMcLean Cup semi-final, between Linfield and Ballymena United at Windsor Park, was moved from Tuesday to Wednesday because of weather warnings from Storm Chadndra.

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  • Football
  • Irish Football

US to send ICE agents to Winter Olympics, prompting Italian anger

Digital editor for Paul KirbyEurope

Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images ICE agent in Minneapolis 24 JanRoberto Schmidt/Getty Images

The US immigration department, which has been working on two fatal shootings in Minneapolis, has announced that it is sending agents to support US security during the Winter Olympics, which will begin in Italy on February 6.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed the agency’s role after reports that sparked concern and resentment in Italy.

The city’s mayor, Beppe Sala, stated on Tuesday that “this is a militia that kills… they’re not welcome in Milan.”

Italian media was previously informed by US embassy sources in Rome that various federal agencies had previously participated in previous Games, though it was not clear if the customs and enforcement agency had also.

In a statement released on Tuesday, the agency stated that “HSI is working with the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and the host country to identify and reduce risks from transnational criminal organizations.”

Piero CRUCIATTI/AFP Italian military stand guard outside a cathedral in MilanPiero CRUCIATTI/AFP

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Pantedosi said: “I don’t see what the problem is and it’s very normal. It’s very normal. I don’t see what the problem is and it’s very normal.

However, the outcry in Italy over the presence of officers from the same US federal agency increased as the images from Minneapolis’s circulation increased.

Two reporters for the Italian public broadcaster Rai were threatened by ICE officials as they drove around the city on Saturday morning after Alex Pretti was shot by federal agents on the streets of Minneapolis.

Attilio Fontana, the governor of the Lombardy region, suggested that ICE agents would be stationed in Italy to protect US Vice President JD Vance and Marco Rubio, the region’s governor.

Political opponents of right-wing leader Giorgia Meloni, including Barbara Floridia, a member of the Five Stars, warned that the government’s continued silence on the subject would “show more of cowardice and subservience toward Donald Trump.”

Since then, the interior minister has taken a stronger position, saying that “ICE will undoubtedly not operate on Italian national territory.”

He claimed that the Italian state had provided security to the US without providing a list of security personnel.

Milan’s center-left mayor had mixed feelings.