Who Aston Villa should target to replace Diego Carlos

As previously reported by Site Expert Hekato Achumi, Diego Carlos is in negotiations with Fulham over a move to Craven Cottage. The deal is said to be advancing quickly and Carlos could be a Fulham player immediately following Villa's return from the USA.

The Brazilian centre-back has struggled to stamp down his place in the Villa team since signing in the summer of 2022. A ruptured Achilles tendon in the opening weeks of his first season in claret and blue meant he missed the majority of the 2022/23 season and minus a couple of outstanding performances against Arsenal last season it is obvious that Carlos has struggled to perform consistently.

Despite Villa only having two other senior centre-backs at the club in Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa who are currently fit to play, the hope is that Tyrone Mings will be available for selection again in the next five to six weeks. However, it is unknown how well Mings will adapt to playing Premier League football again after such a long period out through injury and therefore the club will absolutely need to sign another centre-half once Carlos departs.

So, who should Villa look at signing to replace Carlos?

One man that could come in is a player that has already scored at Villa Park before. Lille defender Bafode Diakite scored for the French club in their 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg last season and the 23-year-old impressed alongside new Manchester United signing Leny Yoro last year. Diakite was part of a Lille defence that conceded the lowest number of goals of any team in Ligue 1 last season and managed to record seven goal involvements along the way.

Ousmane Diomande of Sporting Lisbon is another name that would be an excellent addition to the Villa squad. The Ivory Coast international has previously been linked with the likes of Manchester United and Newcastle United. At 6ft 2, Dimoande is a dominant presence at the back and possesses an aerial duel success rate of nearly 75%, whereas Diego Carlos's is at just over 40%. The 20-year-old was a crucial part of the team that guided Sporting to the top flight title and the Europa League round of 16. Diomande would likely come at a cost however and it is believed he has a release clause of just over £60 million.

It appears as though Trevoh Chalobah's future at Chelsea is in serious doubt following his omission from the squad that departed for the pre-season tour of USA. The former England Under-21 defender is thought to have been left shocked and majorly disappointed by his exclusion having started training under the new manager, Enzo Maresca. After struggling with injuries for the first half of last season Chalobah became a key part of the Chelsea defence that lost just one of their last fourteen Premier League fixtures. Wesley Fofana's return from injury and the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo will likely limit Chalobah's opportunities at Stamford Bridge and Villa could be tempted to make an offer.

Aston Villa are likely to remain busy in the final few weeks of the transfer window as the tour of USA has presented some problems that Emery needs to solve. Jhon Duran's transfer situation is up in the air once more following the news West Ham are closing in on a deal for Germany forward Niclas Fullkrug, whilst a deal for Joao Felix is looking increasingly unlikely.

UTV