Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has confirmed plans to enter the season with Diego Carlos in his defence despite reports linking the defender with a move away from the West Midlands.
The 31-year-old has been the subject of interest from Italian giants AC Milan and a number of clubs in Saudi Arabia throughout the summer, but so far the most concrete interest has come from Aston Villa’s Premier League rivals Fulham, who had an opening offer turned down for the Brazilian earlier in the month.
Unai Emery says Diego Carlos "is completely with us now" following talks over a move away.
"From this moment and today, he is with us because we are happy with Diego Carlos and he had good performances last year." Story @TheAthleticFC #AVFC
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— Jacob Tanswell (@J_Tanswell) August 16, 2024
At the start of the summer, The Athletic reported that Aston Villa were open to the idea of selling Carlos in the summer to alleviate any potential Profit and Sustainability issues that could arise. However, after the sales of Douglas Luiz, Moussa Diaby and most recently Cameron Archer among others, Villa are no longer in a rush to sell the experienced defender.
Speaking to The Athletic ahead of Aston Villa’s opener with West Ham, Emery explained: “Diego Carlos is completely with us now. Yes, we were thinking maybe he would leave in case he had a good offer from another club and of course, we were open to listening.
“But from this moment and today, he is with us because we are happy with Diego Carlos and he had good performances last year. This year is the same idea. Maybe that can change with a good offer but it’s not in my mind to change something around him.”
Carlos joined Aston Villa from Sevilla in the summer of 2022 in a deal in the region of £26m. He was named as one of the two vice-captains by former boss Steven Gerrard, but struggled to make an impact in an injury-hit debut campaign which saw him make just three Premier League appearances.
However, the former Europa League winner quickly emerged as an important player last term, with 38 appearances across all competitions as Aston Villa finished fourth in the Premier League whilst reaching the semi-final of the Europa Conference League.
Carlos will hope to command a starting spot in Emery’s backline against next season but will be competing with the likes of Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres and a fit-again Tyrone Mings who will all be looking to make their mark as the Villans compete in the Champions League for the first time since 1983.
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