Aston Villa have been urged to sell defender Diego Carlos before the transfer window shuts, with former Villa scout Bryan King expressing strong opinions on the player’s future at the club.

King, speaking to Villa News, emphasised the importance of maintaining a positive atmosphere within the squad and suggested that Carlos could be a disruptive influence if he remains at Villa Park.

Villa urged to sell Diego Carlos

King was particularly critical of Carlos’ attitude, stating that players who are unhappy or disgruntled should not be kept around, especially with Aston Villa competing in multiple high-stakes competitions this season.

He stressed the need for a unified and motivated squad, suggesting that Carlos’ presence could be detrimental to the team’s morale.

Speaking to Villa News, King said:

“I can’t see Villa getting anything more than £25million for Carlos.”

“However, it is important that the club just get rid of him. You don’t need quality players around who are going to have miserable faces.

“Especially not at this time of the year, and especially not with the competitions that Villa are competing in. They will want 22 or 23 players in the first-team squad who want to play for the club and manager.

“The one thing you don’t want at a football club is a miserable face. Therefore, if that means moving Carlos on, well that is football.”

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There have been reports that Aston Villa are eager to offload Carlos as they eye Dutch defender Lutsharel Geertruida as a potential replacement.

Fulham have shown interest in the Brazilian, having had a bid rejected earlier in the transfer window.

Diego Carlos joined Aston Villa from Sevilla in the summer of 2022 for £26 million, with high expectations.

However, his time at the club has been marred by injuries, most notably a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in only his second game, which sidelined him for much of the 2022/23 season. Despite making 38 appearances last season, his position in the starting XI has become uncertain.

With Unai Emery favoring the centre-back pairing of Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa, and Tyrone Mings set to return from injury in September, Carlos’ prospects for regular game time look bleak. This has fuelled speculation that a move away from Villa could be on the cards.