Arsenal have agreed to sign England defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa in a deal worth at least £50 million ($68 million), according to reports on Wednesday.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta has been chasing a centre-back since the end of last season and appears set to land Konsa after returning with an improved offer.
The Premier League champions reportedly had a bid for Konsa rejected earlier in the transfer window and briefly switched their attention to Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah.
Having renewed their interest in Konsa, Arsenal are on the brink of sealing a deal for the 28-year-old.
Konsa, who featured for England at the recent World Cup, will have a medical before completing his move to the Emirates Stadium.
With William Saliba sidelined for an “extended period” by a back problem and Jurrien Timber recovering from a groin injury, Konsa will slot into the heart of Arsenal’s defence alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.
If the transfer is finalised, Konsa will follow Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis, Piero Hincapie and Illan Meslier in moving to the north London club since the end of last term.
Konsa played 48 times in all competitions for Villa last season, helping them finish fourth in the Premier League and end a 30-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League.
Konsa, who joined Villa from Brentford in 2019, did not feature for Unai Emery’s side during their pre-season friendlies or in the UEFA Super Cup defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
He would become the latest Villa star to leave in a turbulent summer for Emery.
Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea, Youri Tielemans moved to Manchester United and Lucas Digne was allowed to sign for PSG.
Arsenal open their Premier League title defence at home to promoted Coventry on Friday.
AFP
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