Fulham make first move to sign Diego Carlos from Aston Villa
Fulham have expressed an interest in signing Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos with the player open to a move away, according to the Daily Mail.
Writing on their website (2 August), the outlet reported Fulham have identified Carlos as their next centre-back target after Jorge Cuenca, who is finalising his move to Craven Cottage from Villareal.
The 31-year-old made 38 appearances last season for the Villans but is open to a move in search of more first-team opportunities and is attracting interest from European sides.
Diego Carlos wants to leave Aston Villa this summer
Carlos has endured a tough time during his spell at Aston Villa following his £28million move from Sevilla in 2022.
The Europa League winner arrived at Villa Park as a statement signing for then-manager Steven Gerrard but suffered an Achilles tendon in August, meaning he would have to wait until March to make his debut under Unai Emery.
The Brazilian stayed injury-free last season and featured regularly under Emery, but he has proven error-prone and shipped in five goals against Crystal Palace when starting Villa’s final game of last season against Crystal Palace.
He also received a red card in the 2-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in pre-season for two yellow cards and Emery seems to have run out of patience with his hot-headed temperament.
Aston Villa are well-stocked at centre-back, with the preferred pairing of Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa leading the side to Champions League qualification last term.
The Villans will have to accept a loss on the £26m spent on him in 2022 but it seems a necessary loss to make to move on a high earner with no prospects in the squad.
A move is beneficial for all parties and this deal could be wrapped up sooner rather than later as Aston Villa continue to build a side capable of competing in the Champions League this season.
In other Aston Villa news, Morgan Gibbs-White could hand Emery a headache after a new summer transfer update at Villa Park
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