Arsenal close in on Ezri Konsa as £20m valuation gap narrows with Aston Villa

Arsenal are closing in on a deal to sign Aston Villa and England defender Ezri Konsa, with talks between the two clubs progressing after an initial £40 million bid was rejected earlier in the summer window.

Konsa, 28, is Arsenal’s preferred target as Mikel Arteta seeks cover on the right side of his defence. Both William Saliba and Jurrien Timber are set to miss the start of the Premier League season through long-term injuries, leaving the Gunners short of options. Konsa’s ability to operate at centre-back as well as right-back is understood to appeal to Arteta, who values defensive versatility.

According to The Athletic, while the deal is not yet finalised, discussions have moved forward with dialogue now taking place at ownership level in an effort to close the gap in valuations. Arsenal have been willing to pay £40 million, while Villa have valued the defender closer to £60 million. Personal terms between the club and player are not expected to be a stumbling block.

Konsa featured prominently for England at the World Cup in North America, starting seven of their eight fixtures. He came on as a 72nd-minute substitute in the only match he did not start — the 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina. He was subsequently granted additional rest time by Villa and did not participate in pre-season.

The defender has two years remaining on the five-year contract Villa handed him in 2023. His potential departure would represent another significant loss for Unai Emery’s side, who have already sold Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne this summer for a combined £159.5 million, despite qualifying for the Champions League. Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez are also reported to be considering their futures before the transfer window closes on 1 September. Villa did announce two arrivals on Wednesday, signing Atletico Madrid left-back Matteo Ruggeri for £17 million and Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki for £30 million.

Arteta confirmed his desire for further reinforcements after Arsenal’s 3-0 Community Shield victory over Manchester City on Sunday. “We know that there are certain areas that, through injuries, we are weaker and we need to strengthen,” the Arsenal manager said. “We are trying to do that, we’ve been trying to do that for weeks — only the right opportunity and the club is available to do it, we will do it.”