Aston Villa agree £26m deal with Sevilla for defender Carlos just days after landing Kamara

Aston Villa will target another defensive signing after agreeing a deal for Sevilla defender Diego Carlos worth an initial £25.6million.

The Brazilian will have discussions and a medical in the coming hours after travelling to England, while the fee for the 29-year-old could reach nearly £30m with add-ons.

Villa have made a rapid start to the transfer window by signing midfielder Boubacar Kamara after the Frenchman allowed his Marseille contract to expire, and they hope to re-sign goalkeeper Robin Olsen after finalising the move for Carlos.

Aston Villa have reached an agreement with Sevilla for the transfer of defender Diego Carlos 

Boss Steven Gerrard is eyeing still more reinforcements, with Rangers’ Calvin Bassey another on their list, while the club bid for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma last January and retain an interest.

Gerrard would also like another centre-forward

Having assessed his squad closely since taking charge last November, Gerrard is clear on who he would like to keep. 

Fringe players like Trezeguet, Bertrand Traore and Matt Targett are among those likely to be allowed to leave, while midfielder Douglas Luiz has been followed by Jose Mourinho’s Roma for nearly a year.

The 29-year-old defender had been in talks with Newcastle during the January window

‘We’ve used the last six months to analyse the whole playing staff. We’ve tried to implement a style and an identity that as you can see, clearly, is a work in progress.

‘There have been a lot of positives. There have also been some inconsistencies, and there are a lot of areas to work on to get it how we want.

‘We want to use this stage now to try and recruit extremely well and then take that into a full pre-season with the group.’

Meanwhile, Michael Beale – a key member of Gerrard’s coaching team – is Queens Park Rangers’ first choice to be their new manager. The Championship club approached Villa on Thursday.