Fabrizio Romano confirms Aston Villa and Wolves linked defender has transfer agreement with Serie A club

Udinese are poised to sign French centre-back Oumar Solet on a free transfer despite being links to Aston Villa and Wolves this summer.

The 24-year-old became a free agent earlier this month after he and his club RB Salzburg agreed to mutually terminate his contract. He left having made 28 appearances in all competitions last season, in a campaign which saw Salzburg finish second to SK Sturm Graz in the Austrian Football Bundesliga, ending the season trophyless.

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Solet is poised to complete a move to Udinese. Another journalist Nicolo Schira claimed that he has signed two-year deal which will run until 2027, and there is an option of a further year. Udinese are owned by Giampaolo Pozzo, who was previously in charge at Watford, before handing ownership to his son Gino in 2014.

Solet spent four seasons in Austria, and made 106 appearances in total for Salzburg, which reportedly caught the eye of Villa and their West Midlands rivals Wolves. According to HITC’s Graeme Bailey, Villa and Wolves along with their Premier League rivals Nottingham Forest, and West Ham had an interest in signing him.

As Solet was released outside of the transfer registration period window, he would have been unable to play for Villa, Wolves or any that signed him until January. Both clubs submitted their squad lists to the Premier League, and Wolves who are short on centre-back options, are only able to sign players that are considered homegrown, whilst Villa’s squad is full.

A new centre-back is a priority for Wolves, having failed to find a replacement for Max Kilman. Yerson Mosquera returned from a beneficial loan spell from Villarreal but has been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign after injuries to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).

Aston Villa are more than equipped in the centre-back department with Tyrone Mings closing in on a return. The 18-time England international has been sidelined for more than a year with a knee injury sustained in the first game of the 2023/24 season but is back training.