Major Diego Carlos Aston Villa transfer update given as Fenerbahce release statement
Fenerbahce have confirmed that an agreement in principle has been reached with Aston Villa for the transfer of Diego Carlos.
The Brazilian, who is due to enter the final 12 months of his contract at the end of the season, is set to leave Villa Park after a move failed to materialise last summer. Unai Emery had remained tight-lipped about Carlos' future in recent weeks, despite him being limited in his game-time this season.
A statement released by Fenerbahce via social media reads: "Our club has reached an agreement in principle with the club for the transfer of Diego Carlos, who plays for Aston Villa. The Brazilian player has been invited to Istanbul for health checks and to further the transfer negotiations. We present it to the public."
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The centre-back is now set to travel to Turkey over the coming days with negotiations set to continue. Carlos was left out of Villa's matchday squad for the fourth consecutive game in the Premier League during the 2-2 draw with Arsenal on Saturday evening.
When pushed on Carlos' future, Emery said last week: "I don't know [if he will be sold]," before adding: "He had a medical report this morning and he's not feeling good. He is not going to train and he is not going to be available tomorrow. I know they are, more or less, in conversation about the possibility to leave, but I don't know."
However, before Villa's trip to Everton last Wednesday, Carlos hit back on social media claiming that he was fit to play, despite Emery suggesting he was injured. On Instagram, the defender simply wrote: "I'm not injured".
The club have lined-up Loic Bade as a replacement for Carlos, who made a total of 58 appearances for Villa since joining the club in 2022 from Sevilla. He was, once again, omitted from their matchday squad on Tuesday night vs AS Monaco in the Champions League.
