Aston Villa have reportedly reached an agreement with Fenerbahce over the sale of defender Diego Carlos, in a deal said to be worth in excess of €10m.
The 31-year-old joined us from Sevilla in July 2022, and has since gone on to make 58 appearances for the club.
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Having recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon injury in his debut season with us, the Brazilian centre-half went on to establish himself as a key figure in Unai Emery’s squad, and has played an important part in our progress during his tenure thus far.
However, the decision has seemingly been made to move on and upgrade in that position, as Fabrizio Romano reports that a deal has now been agreed with Fenerbahce over a transfer, and while Carlos is set to travel to undergo his medical, it’s suggested that the fee is expected to be in excess of €10m.
From a Villa perspective, that is excellent business, as despite all the positives noted above, Carlos will soon turn 32, has 18 months remaining on his current contract and unfortunately has been both injury and error prone.
In turn, to receive a significant fee for him will help to balance our books and fund our own moves, with Sevilla defender Loic Bade being eyed as his replacement, as per Romano’s tweet above.
Villa evidently have the financial flexibility and belief that this move will ultimately improve our backline, similarly to how we’ve already moved on Jaden Philogene this month and replaced him with Donyell Malen to bolster our attacking options.
It promises to be a very productive January transfer window if these type of moves continue, but for now, it’s hoped that the medical and formalities of Carlos’ move to Fenerbahce go through without a hitch, and Villa are quick in their swoop for Bade or an alternative target, as with Pau Torres currently sidelined by injury, we’re short in that department and need competition and depth.
Nevertheless, this is another positive move that needed to be made to continue to improve our squad, and time will tell if it is indeed Bade who arrives to fill the void left behind by Carlos.