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Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion have emerged as surprise candidates to sign Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) Carlos Soler.
This is as per French outlet Le Parisien, who have reported that the Spaniard could be on the move as he has failed to nail down a starting spot under Luis Enrique.
Carlos Soler joined PSG from Valencia in a deal worth €18 million in the summer of 2022. Having made 35 appearances for the Parisians across competitions last season under Christophe Galtier, it seemed like he would remain in favor under compatriot Enrique.
However, that has not been the case, as Soler has made just six league appearances for PSG for 110 minutes in total, with five of those coming off the bench.
Still aged 26, the Spaniard is a couple of years away from his prime, and the Parisians may not want to lose him permanently. Hence, Villa and Brighton could be in for him on a season-long loan deal.
A return to Valencia was also on the cards, but the Spanish club face financial constraints and would not be able to make the payments as per PSG's demands. Moreover, they cannot compete with the financial muscle of the PL clubs.
Brighton and Villa have invested heavily in acquiring talents from across Europe in the last two seasons, and it remains to be seen if either of them can bring Carlos Soler to the PL.
PSG also looking to offload Hugo Ekitike and Layvin Kurzawa
The Parisians have been known to sign several players in every window and bring in top prospects from all over the world. However, some of these signings do not go as per plan, and multiple factors prevent the players from blossoming at the Parc des Princes.
Two of these are Hugo Ekitike and Layvin Kurzawa - both of whom have failed to make an impact during their time in Paris.
Ekitike joined the Parisians from Reims on an initial season-long loan in 2022 before the deal became permanent for €35 million in June 2023. Since arriving, the 21-year-old has made 33 appearances for PSG across competitions, scoring and assisting four goals apiece.
Kurzawa, on the other hand, joined the French champions from AS Monaco back in 2015 for €23 million. Since then, he has been in and out of the first team and has since fallen down the pecking order due to new arrivals.
It remains to be seen how they go about offloading players deemed surplus to the club's requirements.
