Aston Villa have reportedly submitted a first official bid to Sevilla in our transfer pursuit of defender Loic Bade.
As per Fabrizio Romano, Diego Carlos is moving closer to sealing an exit from Villa as he looks set to join Fenerbahce in a deal potentially worth in excess of €10m.
READ MORE: Deal agreed as Villa ace set for permanent exit with replacement eyed
Should that exit materialise as expected this month, Villa will undoubtedly need to fill that void and strengthen our options at centre-half to provide competition and depth for Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres.
With Torres currently sidelined by injury for another month or so, that makes our need to add another defender to the squad this month much bigger, and it appears as though the club have a priority target in mind who could be ideal for Unai Emery.
According to Matteo Moretto, Villa have made an official offer for Bade, with the two clubs said to be negotiating a possible deal worth around €25m.
The 24-year-old joined the La Liga outfit from Rennes in July 2023, and he has since gone on to make 77 appearances for the club having established himself as a key figure in their backline.
Having being capped at U21s level for France and after featuring in the Olympics last year, Bade also appears to have a bright future at international level, and this next chapter in his career could help him seal a spot in the senior squad on a regular basis.
Time will tell if Villa are able to reach an agreement with Sevilla and secure a move or if we’re forced to look elsewhere at alternative targets, but Bade certainly ticks a lot of the important boxes with his defensive strengths and technical ability in possession, and so it’s easy to see why Emery, Monchi and our scouting team have all focused in on him as a potential replacement for Carlos.
Further, looking at the bigger picture, we’re seemingly moving on a player in his early 30s who’s value will only continue to decline, and based on these reports, focusing our attention on a younger option who has shown plenty of promise and has experience at a high level already with room for his value to grow.
Should the figures prove to be accurate, Villa are on the verge of doing some excellent business to not only bolster our defence but also balance our books, and so it’s hoped that if this is our desired reshuffle, it ends up coming to fruition to improve the squad.
