Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho has acknowledged the need to strengthen his defensive line, with reports suggesting the club are in talks with Aston Villa over a potential move for Diego Carlos.
Daily Mail reported that Fenerbahce are confident they will sign Carlos.
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The Brazilian centre-back is entering the final year of his contract at Villa Park and could be available for a relatively low fee.
“I think it is an obvious situation because we lost Jayden [Oosterwolde] and [Rodrigo] Becao for the whole season, they weren’t small injuries,” Mourinho said. “We lost two centre-backs and we can also say Jayden is a left-back. Then the situation with Ferdi [Kadioglu] is that we lost him in the final days of the summer market.
“It is an area where we are weak. In this moment we have [Caglar] Soyuncu and Yusuf [Akcicek] as centre-backs and for the second part of the season. It is a completely impossible situation to manage. That’s why our main focus is going to be there [defence].”
Fenerbahce President Ali Koc has also publicly acknowledged the need to address the club’s defensive deficiencies in the January transfer window.
“We have three foreign player slots and three non-negotiable positions: two centre-backs and a left-back,” he explained.
“We won’t disclose anything until we see signed contracts. We aim to address our deficiencies in this transfer window. Two very important players are out for the season, and some of the signings we make may seem costly to you.”
Carlos’s potential arrival would be a significant boost for Mourinho’s side, providing much-needed experience and depth to the backline.
However, the deal is not yet finalized, and negotiations are ongoing.
