Aston Villa ready to ‘cash in’ on Diego Carlos as ‘serious’ Fulham transfer offer mooted
Aston Villa are ready to “cash in on” Diego Carlos once Fulham submit a “serious” offer for his services, according to Alan Hutton.
The defender has been linked with the Villa Park exit door throughout the summer transfer window, with reports suggesting the Villans are keen to get his £100,000-a-week wages off of their bill [The Telegraph, 20 May].
Marco Silva’s side have now seen an opening offer for the Brazilian rejected, but the Cottagers are expected to return with a new proposal as discussions remain ongoing between the clubs [David Ornstein, 9 August].
Although Hutton isn’t sure what sort of fee Villa would be looking for before sanctioning Carlos’ exit, he thinks Emery has enough depth at centre-back to allow the 31-year-old to depart.
“I think it’s one where the manager might look to move him on,” Hutton exclusively told Villa News.
“He’s 31 years old now and when he came in I had really high hopes for him, I thought he’d play regularly and then he had a serious injury and he was out for a long period of time.
“At this moment in time, I think Villa have got options at centre-back.
“Tyrone Mings is set to come back, [Ezri] Konsa has been really strong and Pau Torres has been excellent as well so I think they have cover there.
“If a serious offer was to come in, I think it’s something that the club would look to cash in on.
“I don’t know what the fee would be to be fair, but I think there is room for manoeuvre in that centre-back position.”
Diego Carlos to exit Aston Villa amid Fulham transfer rumours?
As Hutton suggests, the Villans have more than enough quality options in the centre of defence to cope without Carlos if he is to depart before the transfer window slams shut at the end of August.
But with Champions League football now on the agenda as well as the upcoming Premier League campaign, Emery may need one or two new reinforcements to prepare his backline for the increased workload.
Hopefully, any money earned through the sale of Carlos will be able to be spent on a new defensive signing before the new season gets underway, that way, Emery and his recruitment team will have covered all their bases.
In other Aston Villa news, Amadou Onana’s role at Villa Park has been mooted following his big-money move from Everton
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