Aston Villa must cash in on £100,000-per-week man this summer, it could help them land Joao Felix

Aston Villa have made a busy start to the transfer window but there is plenty of business still left to do.

With Champions League football on the horizon, Aston Villa have moved quickly to improve Unai Emery‘s squad with eight new signings already confirmed.

The exit door at Villa Park has also been busy with six players also leaving this summer – including Moussa Diaby and Douglas Luiz.

There is plenty to be excited about if you’re a Villa fan, but poor results in pre-season have put a dampener on the buzz around the club.

Since flying out to the United States to begin their pre-season tour, Villa have lost 4-1 to MLS champions Columbus Crew and 2-0 to Red Bull Leipzig.

Villa found themselves two goals down in the first half and things went from bad to worse when Diego Carlos saw red for recklessly putting his arm across Lois Openda after a heated discussion.

Aston Villa must cash in

Despite their big spending, one area Villa have not addressed is their back line.

The £37million signing of Ian Maatsen has strengthened their left-back position, but Emery has put his faith in Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Pau Torres and Carlos as his centre-back options.

However, Carlos, who signed for Villa in a £26million deal, showed exactly why he cannot be trusted by Emery with his hot-headed decision against RB Leipzig.

Carlos ended last season with nine consecutive appearances in the Premier League, and with Villa now competing in Europe Emery will need solid options and depth.

However, Carlos is prone to a very costly error and that is something Emery cannot afford as he prepares to lead Villa in the Champions League.

At 31 years old, Carlos is not going to improve anytime soon and this summer is Villa’s best option to cash in on him.

As reported by The Telegraph, Villa are open to listening to offers for Carlos.

A £100,000 per week problem

Carlos is reportedly earning £100,000 per week at Villa Park, making him one of the club’s highest earners.

Aston Villa are still interested in signing Joao Felix, and are willing to make him the club’s top earner on a wage of around £150,000 – but it still requires the Atletico Madrid star to take a huge wage cut from his £250,000 per week salary in Spain.

READ MORE: Aston Villa face new deadline for Joao Felix deal, he wants his future resolved within days

Removing Carlos from the wage bill would free up space for Villa to go and secure a marquee signing – one that would actually improve their starting lineup.

Embarrassing himself by getting sent off in a pre-season game should be the final straw for Carlos at Villa, finding him a new club should now be a top priority.

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