'Arrives tonight' - Aston Villa's £26m signing on verge of joining ex-Chelsea and Man United boss in Turkey

Aston Villa's January transfer window is gathering pace behind the scenes, with a number of deals both in and out of the club set to go through before Deadline Day on February third.

One player who has been consistently linked with a move away from Villa Park this month is defender Diego Carlos, who has struggled to get regular game time under manager Unai Emery.

Fresh reports from Turkish news outlet Fanatik, via Sport Witness, now claim that Fenerbahce have won the race to sign Carlos, and that the player is likely to touch down in Turkey later today in order to undergo a medical and finalise his move to the Yellow Canaries.

It is claimed that Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho, who previously managed Chelsea, Manchester United and Spurs in the Premier League with varying degrees of success, is keen to get an experienced defender on board, and looks to have succeeded in signing Carlos who 'will soon be announced' as a new Fenerbahce player.

How much money will Villa get for Carlos?

It looks highly likely that Villa will make a sizeable loss on Carlos, a player they signed for £26m from Sevilla back in 2022. The report from Turkey suggests that Fenerbahce will get their man for a fee in the region of £11m, and that the 31-year-old will sign a contract with an annual salary of around £3.4m per-year.

While making a loss on a transfer is never a positive outcome, in the short-term it will at least give Villa a welcome boost to their January transfer funds, as the club look to balance the books to stay in line with the PSR and FFP regulations.

Given that Carlos' contract at Villa is due to expire in just 18 months time, the club will be relieved to have been able to cash in on their talent, rather than see him agree terms with another club and move on a free transfer in the summer of 2026.

Last summer, Villa spent around £140m on new signings, with the likes of Amadou Onana, Ian Maatsen and Samuel Iling-Junior all sealing big-money moves to Villa Park. However, the club managed to bring in a similar amount of money from player sales, as Douglas Luiz, Moussa Diaby and Omari Kellyman all secured lucrative moves elsewhere.

What other transfer business will Villa do this month?

As one former Sevilla defender heads for the exit, one of their current centre-backs looks like he could well move to Villa Park this winter. French defender Loic Bade, who has also been linked with Villa's Premier League rivals Liverpool, remains a key transfer target for Villa.

Valued at around £17m, the former Nottingham Forest defender is a player in high demand this month, but it is hoped that Villa's president of club operations Monchi could prove a decisive factor in the transfer race, given his long standing affiliation with Sevilla.

Galatasaray striker Alper Yilmaz is another name to be linked with Villa, but if their interest is genuine they will have to compete with the likes of Newcastle United and Everton to sign the £25m-rated Turkey international. Meanwhile, Aston Villa midfielder Lamare Bogarde has emerged as a transfer target for a number of Championship clubs, as well as German side Hoffenheim.

Villa have signed one player so far this month, bringing winger Donyell Malen in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee understood to be in the region of £21m. In terms of outgoings, Jaden Philogene ended a brief return spell with the club, after sealing a £20m move to Ipswich Town.

21-year-old midfielder Tommi O'Reilly has also left the club in the current transfer window, heading out on loan until the end of the season with MK Dons. The move is O'Reilly's third temporary exit after signing his first professional contract with the club back in 2023, having previously spent time with both Spanish side Real Union and League One outfit Shrewsbury Town.