Douglas Luiz may leave Aston Villa in the January transfer window if they are not on course for Champions League qualification, the club have been warned.

Luiz "will have Champions League ambition" and may wait to see whether he can achieve that with Villa before making a decision on his future. Clubs will be keen to sign him in January and next summer, with Manchester City among the clubs linked with the Brazilian.

His future will depend on Villa's status in Europe, and that is in the hands of his teammates and Villa. Former Villa defender Richard Dunne believes Luiz and other "big players" are more likely to leave the club than Emery in the coming months.

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"It’s more likely that the big players will be poached away, not the manager," Dunne told Betway. "Luiz will have Champions League ambition. He will know soon enough if he can do that at Villa.

"There are certain clubs that need that position covering, so I expect he will be sought after in the January transfer window - if not, the summer."

Luiz has made 12 Premier League appearances so far this season, scoring five goals and assisting one more. He has picked up four yellow cards. Last season, in 37 league games, he scored six and set up another six. He was booked six times and sent off once.

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