Arsenal close to signing Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa after summer-long pursuit

The summer-long pursuit of Ezri Konsa is finally paying off.

David Ornstein has confirmed that Arsenal are closing in on a deal to sign the Aston Villa defender.

Work is advancing to finalise the move after dialogue at ownership level reduced the valuation gap that had been the central sticking point all summer.

Personal terms are not expected to be an issue.

Konsa, 28, has been high on Arsenal’s target list throughout the window, after William Saliba’s back injury left them short at centre-back.

Jurrien Timber is also currently sidelined, making the need for defensive reinforcement urgent.

The England international holds particular appeal because of his versatility. He’s comfortable at both centre-back and right-back, which is exactly the profile Mikel Arteta wants.

Konsa started every match for England at the World Cup until the semi-final defeat to Argentina, where he came on as a substitute.

Hand of Arsenal confirm Konsa was always the preferred target, ahead of Jarell Quansah, Cristian Romero and any other alternatives that emerged during the window.

Arsenal specifically wanted Premier League experience given the injuries to Saliba and Timber, and Konsa fits that brief perfectly.

Konsa has two years remaining on his Villa contract after signing a five-year deal in September 2023.

He made 48 appearances in all competitions last season as Villa won the Europa League and finished fourth in the Premier League.

The patient approach that worked so well with Bruno Guimaraes of lowballing initially and waiting for the selling club to soften, appears to have done the job again.

Arsenal started at around £35million, whereas Villa wanted £60million. Ownership-level talks have now helped bridge that gap, and although an exact figure isn’t yet known, Arsenal should get the deal done for around £45million.