Wolves submit shock £10m bid in eleventh-hour Aston Villa hijack attempt

Wolves have reportedly sent a last-ditch offer to sign Aston Villa’s Diego Carlos despite the defender already agreeing to join Turkish Super Lig outfit Fenerbahce.

From one Portuguese manager to another, Vitor Pereira is said to be attempting a late hijack to pinch Carlos from under the nose of Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho.

The Daily Mail reports Wolves have lodged a bid of £10 million to rival Fenerbahce’s offer of around £8.5 million. Carlos is Mourinho’s main target and the legendary head coach has pushed for the deal to be finalised but the promise of guaranteed, regular Premier League starts could prove tempting.

It’s Birmingham World’s understanding that despite reports Carlos had flown to Turkey on Monday night to complete his transfer, he instead remained in the West Midlands. Fenerbahce want to reschedule for Tuesday but Wolves’ reported bid - if it’s to be believed - could potentially throw a spanner in the works.

Carlos, now 31, arrived at Villa Park with great promise when he was signed from Sevilla for £26 million in 2022. Widely recognised as one of the best physical central defenders in Europe at the time, it was hoped Carlos would become one of Villa’s star players but he suffered a horrific injury on just his second appearance in claret and blue.

Since returning nine months on from that fateful day against Everton, Carlos has been in and out of the starting XI under Unai Emery as he’s typically been behind Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres in the pecking order. It’s unclear if he’s even ahead of Tyrone Mings now that the former England international has made a run of starts after returning from a long-term injury of his own.

Loic Bade deal could stall if Diego Carlos exit longs on

Villa remain in negotiations with Sevilla over the potential signing of central defender Loïc Badé but won’t finalise the deal until Carlos’ departure is sealed. Badé, albeit an upgrade on Carlos, wouldn’t be a necessary signing if Villa’s current number three doesn’t leave the club.

Three times an appearance maker for France Under-23 at the Olympic Games last summer, Badé is closing in on his first senior appearance for his country. He’s a top talent reportedly wanted by a host of elite clubs across Europe, including Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Right-footed, towering at 6ft 3in and quick off the mark, Badé would slot in nicely alongside Pau Torres once the Spaniard has returned from his broken metatarsal injury. Ezri Konsa would likely shift across to right-back in place of Matty Cash, or Badé could rotate with Konsa in the middle across the Premier League and Champions League.

Badé is also very talented with his feet, more than capable of picking out a winger on the opposite flank or dribbling out from the back himself. Having Pau and Badé as two ball-playing defenders alongside one another could be terrifying for opponents. That would suit Emery’s system to a T.

This isn’t the first time Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, has been in talks to sign Badé as he was the man to bring the player to his former club, Sevilla, in the first place. The pair had a strong relationship, as shown by hugs and laughs on live television after winning the 2023 UEFA Europa League.