Besiktas chief names Diego Carlos and other player Aston Villa want rid of
Besiktas vice president Huseyin Yucel has revealed Aston Villa offered Diego Carlos and one other player to the Super Lig outfit in the summer.
The Villans approached Besiktas for forward Semi Kilicsoy in the most recent transfer window in a player-plus-cash offer, and the club are preparing to test the waters again in January after the previous collapsed move [The Star].
However, Yucel shared in an interview with Turkish news outlet T24 [17 December] that Carlos was not the only player offered in negotiations for Kilicsoy, and a potential deal could have seen Alex Moreno shipped to Turkey.
He said: “Semih Kilicsoy received an offer from Aston Villa. Monchi’s initial offer was €12m, then it went up to €15m.
“Semih was going to play in our team for one year. They also asked, ‘Do you want Diego Carlos or Alex Moreno?’ I couldn’t get it accepted. The president said €15m is too little.”
Aston Villa could still sell Diego Carlos in 2025
The Brazilian was firmly on the chopping block at Aston Villa throughout the summer transfer window but remained at Villa Park after a move to Fulham collapsed.
And despite finding himself as a regular starter for the Villans this year, the stance on his potential departure remains unchanged.
Villa loss of form between October and December, before a recent upturn before the loss to Nottingham Forest, has seen them fall to seventh place in the Premier League, albeit only three points adrift of the top four.
The Villans have kept only two clean sheets in their last 10 outings across all competitions, and Emery is eager to shore up his defence in January.
With a new forward also on the agenda at Villa Park, Monchi could kill two birds with one stone and offer Carlos as makeweight again in a deal for Kilicsoy – Yucel’s comments suggest Besiktas would be open to acquiring the 31-year-old.
Villa would then be free to pursue Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva, having already reached out to the Portuguese side [TEAMtalk], and that would represent an immediate upgrade on Carlos.
In other Aston Villa news, John McGinn can put the final nail in the coffin for Pep Guardiola in the Villans clash against Man City.
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