
Aston Villa
Premier League • England
Aston Villa going all out to sign Liverpool target after Diego Carlos leaves

Diego Carlos agrees deal to join Fenerbache.
Aston Villa are set to complete the sale of defender Diego Carlos and Unai Emery’s side are determined to land a Liverpool target as his replacement.
Carlos, 31, joined the club from Sevilla in 2022 for £26m and featured just 58 times due to injuries across two and a half seasons.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Carlos will join up with Jose Mourinho at Fenerbahce in a permanent deal, with Aston Villa eyeing up a potential replacement before the end of January.
He wrote on X: ‘Diego Carlos to Fenerbahce, here we go! Deal in place with Aston Villa as Brazilian defender will fly to Istanbul tonight.
‘Transfer fee expected to be in excess of €10m with Aston Villa keen on Loïc Bade as replacement.’
Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce currently sit six points behind leaders Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Lig, as well as 21st in Europa League group phase.
Carlos will join ex-Premier League figures Eden Dzeko, Sofyan Amrabat, Fred, Allan Saint-Maximin and Dusan Tadic at Fener.
Emery has already allowed Jaden Philogene to leave the club during the window, joining up with Ipswich Town just six months after signing from Hull City.
Plus, youngster Lewis Dobbin, who was signed from Everton, has seen his loan at West Brom cut short and has now joined Norwich in a six-month deal.
Carlos’ departure leaves the club with Pau Torres, Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Lamare Bogarde as centre-back options, but a swift replacement may well come before the end of the month.
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Aston Villa target Liverpool-linked Loic Bade
Mentioned in the transfer update was Sevilla’s Bade who has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Liverpool also reportedly interested.
It is said that Liverpool have made enquiries over a move as they are looking to plan for the long-term in their centre-back positions. Villa’s sporting director Monchi has also made contact with Sevilla over a move this month.
Romano reported in a subsequent update: ‘Loïc Bade and Aston Villa, deal on with talks ongoing as he’s top of the list for Aston Villa as centre back. Diego Carlos leaves to join Fenerbahce.’
Signing Bade now would be Villa’s best chance of bringing the highly-rated 24-year-old to the club given there is also interest from European clubs such as Atalanta as well as Newcastle United.
It would make a strong statement given that he would likely become a starting centre-back alongside either Ezri Konsa or Pau Torres, joining a club moving in the right direction.
Shockingly, he was previously signed by Nottingham Forest on loan during the 2o22-23 campaign whilst at Rennes. But he departed in January after failing to make a single appearance.
He then went on to be a Europa League winner in 2023 with the Spanish side having returned to the club, playing every minute from the quarter-final second leg against Manchester United onwards – that included 120 minutes in the final win over AS Roma.