Aston Villa have reached an agreement to sign Sevilla defender Diego Carlos this summer. A £26m move has been agreed between the two clubs with the 29-year-old travelling to England to complete a medical and finalise personal terms.
Carlos was heavily linked with a move to Newcastle in January but stayed at Sevilla as they battled Real Madrid at the top of La Liga. The Spanish outfit wanted a significant fee for the Brazilian, with the Magpies ultimately unwilling to meet their demands.
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Villa announced: "Aston Villa can confirm the Club has reached an agreement with Sevilla FC for the transfer of Diego Carlos for an undisclosed fee. The player will travel to England in the next few hours to complete a medical and finalise personal terms.
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"Diego Carlos, a Brazilian central defender, has been a virtual ever-present in Sevilla’s successful La Liga and European campaigns over the last three seasons, playing 136 matches, including in Sevilla’s victorious appearance in the 2020 Europa League final against Inter Milan."
Sevilla's director of football Monchi recently admitted Carlos mulled over a move to Tyneside during the winter window. The player himself has also spoken of the project in the north east.
Carlos said: “We know about the history of Newcastle, it is a team that is fighting not to drop out of the Premier League.
“They are building a project with the billionaire, who has bought them, who wants to make [them] a well-known club in a few years, but here we are very well classified and we play one of the best leagues in the world, against great teams.
“Sevilla have a very strong name around the world, the team is doing well… I talked to Monchi and told him to be calm, that if they want me here, I’m going to do my best because I owe the club a lot. We came to an agreement that I would stay.”
