Aston Villa are reportedly advancing in talks with Feyenoord over the signing of Lutsharel Geertruida, as Diego Carlos edges closer to an exit.
Villa have already had a busy summer transfer window thus far, as Unai Emery has continued to strengthen his squad where possible and make us a more competitive outfit ahead of another big season.
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However, our work isn’t yet done it seems, as speculation continues to link us with both outgoings and incomings before the deadline.
According to Fabrizio Romano, we continue to advance in talks over the signing of Geertruida with discussions said to be ongoing with Feyenoord, and so the hope is that if the Dutchman is considered a priority target for Emery, we’ll be able to add him to the group and strengthen our defence with his arrival.
That said, it will likely only happen if Carlos completes a move elsewhere, with Romano also reporting that Villa are now close to reaching an agreement with Fulham over the signing of the Brazilian centre-half, with talks continuing to reach a deal on both the structure of the agreement as well as on personal terms.
After his debut season with us was ruined by a serious injury setback, Carlos established himself as an important option for Emery last season as he made 38 appearances across all competitions.
However, the 31-year-old continued to have troubles with injuries, and with his age and touted high wages in mind as he has two years remaining on his current deal, it could be argued that the sensible long-term plan would be to move him on now and look to bring in a younger replacement who can be considered an upgrade for both now and the future.
Geertruida could potentially tick those vital boxes, as the 24-year-old has established himself as a key figure for Feyenoord, and with his physical attributes, defensive qualities and versatility, he could be an excellent fit for Emery as we would continue our strategy of signing players at a relatively early stage of their respective careers and allowing the Villa boss to develop them and improve us collectively with reinforcements.
Time will tell if the pieces fall into place for this double deal to happen, but as speculation intensifies over Carlos and his future with us, there is undoubtedly a huge need for Villa to bolster our centre-half options and add high-level and reliable competition and depth to primarily continue to push Ezri Konsa for that right-sided centre-half role.
Meanwhile, it seems as though we’ll show real faith in Tyrone Mings to return to his previous levels to compete with Pau Torres alongside them, but it’s imperative that if Carlos goes, we bring in another new face that is more suitable to Emery’s demands and will be an effective and reliable influence on our play.
