Premier League rivals announce £26m double deal as TWO Toon targets seal shock moves 

Aston Villa have today confirmed they have reached an agreement with Sevilla star and former Newcastle target Diego Carlos for a reported fee of around £26millon.

The 29-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Tyneside back in January, but a host of bids were rejected, seeing the defender remain with the Spanish side for the rest of the season.

In the past few weeks, the Brazilian had again been rumoured to be a target of ours, however it's been suggested we are now pursuing younger alternatives to the no nonsense Brazilian.

This is now the second player that Aston Villa have now beaten us to, with Boubacar Kamara also signing a five-year-deal just a few days ago, arriving on a 'free transfer' from Marseille.

At 29, missing out the arrival of the centre-back could prove to be a blessing in disguise as he would join an already ageing squad, something we need to avoid to fulfil our long-term project.

Saying that, these are two strong early moves from Villa - who could rival ourselves in a push towards the top 10 and beyond next season.

If the owners thought that improving our team with the right characters was going to be straightforward, the past few weeks will have certainly brought them down to earth as the hierarchy have struggled to reach agreements so far.