Aston Villa told Diego Carlos may ‘have to leave’ for Unai Emery to secure transfer
Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos may “have to leave” so the Villans can secure the signing of Marco Hermoso this summer, according to Alan Hutton.
Unai Emery is keen to add to his squad, with Atletico Madrid defender Hermoso reportedly already being offered a contract at Villa Park as the 28-year-old looks set to become a free agent at the end of the season [Sport Mediaset, 24 March].
However, profit and sustainability rules mean that Villa may have to sell players before they buy this summer with reports suggesting Carlos could be one man to exit as the Villans are ready to listen to offers [The Telegraph, 20 May].
Although Hutton admits he has been impressed by the majority of the Brazilian’s performances so far this season, he insists that one defender will have to be sold if Emery wants to sign Hermoso in the coming weeks.
“This is a guy who has played more than 20 times this season,” Hutton told Villa News.
“No matter how highly you rate his ability or his performances, that’s up to each person individually but for me, he’s done ok. At times he’s been caught out which hasn’t been ideal and they did pay a lot of money for him.
“He could probably get better, I know he’s had a serious injury and that takes some time to come back from, but I’d give him a little bit of leeway there. If they are looking to sell him on, will they get the same money for him? Probably not, but they’ll have to bring somebody in.
“Tyrone Mings will be back in pre-season which I think will be a huge plus because he is an absolute leader within that group.
“I’ve heard the rumours that are kind of ramping up around Carlos at this moment in time, they’ve got a number of options at centre-back so you’d think if Hermoso was to come in, somebody would have to leave.”
Will Diego Carlos leave Aston Villa in the summer transfer window and will Mario Hermoso replace him?
Villa need to take their squad to the next level this summer so that they are ready to not only compete in the Premier League but also mount a serious fight in the Champions League having secured qualification with a top-four finish.
There is a belief that the Villans are ready to spend, but financial fair play rules could well limit how much NSWE will be able to invest. Therefore, players will almost certainly have to make way before bids can be sent.
Carlos is on a reported £100,000-a-week wages and while he showed in glimpses this season that he can be worth every penny, he was also responsible for his fair share of defensive howlers.
Hopefully, Villa will be able to make the additions required this summer without leaving themselves open to a potential point deduction.
In other Aston Villa news, a new Champions League update could help Villa win the race for Michael Olise ahead of Manchester United
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