Aston Villa have confirmed that Diego Carlos has completed a transfer to Fenerbahce.
The centre-back has spent the last two-and-a-half seasons at Villa Park, bouncing back from the blow of suffering an Achilles injury in just his second game for the club.
Nevertheless, despite going on to make 58 appearances for the West Midlands outfit, the Brazilian has rarely held down a regular spot in the side.
As a result, a transfer has been in the offing for a number of weeks, Fenerbahce being deemed as the favourites with the 31-year-old eager to take on a new challenge.
Villa have now announced that Carlos has departed for Jose Mourinho's side for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £8.4m.
Aston Villa can confirm that Diego Carlos has joined Fenerbahce for an undisclosed fee.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 23, 2025
We would like to wish Diego good luck in his new professional chapter. pic.twitter.com/qeZefl3Jbq
Good deal for all parties
Carlos has put in some memorable performances during his time in Villa, most notably during the 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League earlier this season.
A clean sheet was also kept versus Juventus, yet displays such as the one produced in a 2-2 draw at Ipswich Town highlighted his inconsistencies.
Fourteen starts and three substitute outings have been made in all competitions this season, and Carlos will hope to hold down a regular place at Fenerbahce.
That said, the former Sevilla star is linking up with a team that possesses the joint-best defensive record in Super Lig and are also adding Paris Saint-Germain's Milan Skriniar to their ranks.
Ex-Leicester City man Caglar Soyuncu is another high-profile option for Mourinho as Fenerbahce bid to chase down leaders Galatasaray and go deep in the Europa League.
© Imago
Carlos replacement lined up?
Reports have indicated that Villa are attempting to negotiate a deal for Sevilla's Loic Bade as a replacement for Carlos.
However, with the Spanish side allegedly wanted to receive €20m (£16.9m) for the Frenchman, Villa may ultimately look elsewhere.
That is effectively double what they have received for Carlos at a time when Villa continue to wheel and deal in order to comply with the relevant financial regulations.
Darren Plant
