Aston Villa have reportedly rejected an offer from Fulham for Diego Carlos, but talks are expected to continue between the two clubs.
The 31-year-old’s future with us has been put in doubt in recent days, particularly after he was left out of two consecutive pre-season games by Unai Emery.
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That followed his red card against RB Leipzig during our tour of the USA, while his social media activity has also raised question marks over whether or not he’ll still be with us by the end of the summer.
According to The Athletic, Villa have rejected an opening offer from Fulham, but talks are set to continue as it remains to be seen whether or not an agreement can be reached with our Premier League rivals.
Further, it’s added that there is interest from Saudi Arabia in Carlos, and so time will tell if that becomes a more prominent option for him in the coming days.
The Brazilian centre-half established himself as a key figure in the Villa squad last season, having returned from a long-term injury and proven himself to be an important option for Emery as we competed across multiple competitions.
However, with his age and touted high wages in mind, coupled with the transfer strategy that the club have seemingly adopted over the past 12 months with Monchi at the helm, we look to be moving in a different direction as the squad gets younger and the wage bill comes down.
Provided we bring in a capable replacement, as it could be argued we need more quality competition and depth at the back even if Carlos stays, it’s a move that will likely suit all concerned, and hopefully we’ll have a stronger defensive unit by the end of the summer transfer window.
While Carlos did play a vital role last season and was a stand-out performer in some games with his physicality, defensive solidity and composure in possession suiting Emery’s style of play, his injury issues and habit of making mistakes do favour the argument of trying to upgrade this summer, and so time will tell if the pieces fall into place for that to happen.
