Diego Carlos could become Sevilla’s first big sale of the summer

Aston Villa have communicated their interest in Diego Carlos to Sevilla, and talks between the two clubs have begun.

Aston Villa and Newcastle want to sign the Brazilian defender

Diego Carlos could become Sevilla’s first big sale of the summer, as the Andalusians have entered into negotiations with Aston Villa, who are interested in signing the Brazilian centre-back. Meanwhile, Jules Kounde has attracted interest from Chelsea since last summer, but there is no official for the Frenchman thus far. Aston Villa have communicated their interest in Diego Carlos to Sevilla, and talks between the two clubs have begun. Although the two parties are not in a hurry to strike a deal, they are keen to do so soon for two reasons. Firstly, Aston Villa want to avoid competition from other clubs such as Newcastle, who already pushed in January to sign the Brazilian defender. Moreover, Sevilla are looking to cash in on one of their two centre-backs before June 30, with Diego Carlos’ buyout clause set at 75 million euros.

Monchi wants to sell Diego and Kounde for around 120m euros

Should they manage to sell Diego Carlos before July, Sevilla will have the upper hand in potential negotiations to offload Kounde in the summer. What seems clear at the time being is that both players will leave the club this summer after three years, where they managed to stand out. Sporting director Monchi invested 40m euros in signing both defenders in 2019, and he intends to sell them for at least three times this figure. The initial idea was to sell just one of the two centre-backs. Still, there has been interest from several clubs with financial power who can offer Kounde the opportunity to win important trophies and Diego Carlos a better salary. Both players want to leave, and Sevilla expect to cash in on them and reinvest the money they will receive to rebuild their team.

Aston Villa are aware of the interest from other clubs in Diego Carlos. Coach Steven Gerrard is believed to consider his signing as a priority move for the Premier League club, which have the financial power to invest in new players and build a team that will compete for European football. Meanwhile, Newcastle are still interested in signing the Brazilian centre-back, and a third team could also join in the race to acquire his services.