Jose Mourinho in transfer raid on Aston Villa with Unai Emery’s side to take £16million hit
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Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos is set to undergo a medical ahead of a £10million move to Fenerbahce, talkSPORT understands.
The centre-back is on course to complete a January transfer to the Turkish giants after being identified as a top target by Jose Mourinho.
Villa signed Carlos from Sevilla in 2022 for a reported £26million.
It means that they are braced to make a £16m loss on the Brazilian.
With Carlos on his way out, Villa are working on a deal to sign his replacement by turning to Sevilla once again for Frenchman Loic Bade.
talkSPORT reported earlier in the month that Oscar Mingueza of Celta Vigo is also of interest to Villa.
But it appears that the Midlands outfit have instead identified France youth international Bade to bolster their backline.
Carlos arrived at Villa Park following a three-year stint at Sevilla where he won the Europa League.
The defender endured an unlucky start to life at Villa after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon on just his second appearance.
He underwent surgery and featured just once more in the 2022/23 campaign, but then became a key player the following season – featuring in 38 fixtures.
Carlos has totalled 58 outings in all competitions – 17 of which have come this season – but only eight of those have been starts in the Premier League.
The 31-year-old has missed their last three matches with a foot injury, so he could well have made his final appearance for Unai Emery’s side.
A move to Fenerbahce will see him join a side that has consistently seen Caglar Soyuncu and Alexander Djiku play at centre-back.
The Istanbul outfit had expressed an interest in Newcastle’s Lloyd Kelly, but like Italian outfit Juventus, saw their approach rejected.
Mourinho has Fenerbahce sitting second in the Turkish Super Lig during his first season at the club.
They have won four out of their last five matches in all competitions and sit 21st in the league phase of the Europa League.
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Mourinho in Turkey, having recently called out a ‘scandal’, while also previously claiming that a VAR official’s decisions ‘smelt bad’.
The former Chelsea, Real Madrid and Manchester United boss’ contract at Fenerbahce runs until 2026.
