Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos is reportedly attracting interest from Fenerbahce, who are said to be willing to pay around £10m to acquire him.
Carlos, 31, joined Villa in 2022 and has since gone on to make 58 appearances for the club, with 17 of those coming so far this season.
READ MORE: Villa paired with interest in versatile ace to bolster defensive options
That number would likely be significantly higher had it not been for a serious injury he suffered in his debut campaign with us, but as time has gone on following Unai Emery’s appointment, he has become more of a depth option when Ezri Konsa is either absent or is shifted across to right-back.
Speculation was rife last summer that he could leave, and now according to Sky Sports, it is building again this month as Fenerbahce are said to be keen on the Brazilian centre-half, and are willing to pay around £10m to land his signature.
Although Carlos is capable of being a commanding presence at the back for us and has produced some stand-out performances over the past two years, there is no denying that he is injury prone and is often guilty of either looking like the vulnerable piece in our backline or making a costly mistake.
In turn, if the report above is accurate, Villa should surely look to accept and upgrade in that position, as at 31 years of age and with 18 months remaining on his current contract, it’s unlikely we’re going to receive as good an offer as that moving forward as he continues to play a bit-part role.
However, it was only last week that Emery described Carlos as a ‘necessary’ part of his squad following the injury sustained by Pau Torres, and so it remains to be seen if he is specifically keen on keeping the Brazilian defender, or he merely means that it’s fundamental that we have another option in defence to cover for Torres, and he’s open to a reshuffle in that department if it makes financial and sporting sense.
Depending on who we might line up to replace Carlos should he leave, with names already being linked with the club, it’s hard to argue against the latter option being the more sensible one, and so time will tell if Emery and the Villa management agree, or will look to stay as we are until the summer.
