Arsenal preparing bid to sign Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa

Arsenal are preparing a bid to sign Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa, according to Mail Sport.

The Gunners had been looking at versatile defenders as potential targets this summer and these reports suggest the England international is the option they have landed on.

The rumours of an expected offer for Konsa come at a time when Mikel Arteta's side could be in need of serious defensive reinforcements, something they are clearly looking to act on in the transfer market.

Arsenal preparing offer for Ezri Konsa

Tom Collomosse and Issan Khan both revealed the news for Mail Sport on Friday afternoon after the publication had previously reported on Arsenal's interest in Konsa earlier this summer.

While the Gunners are said to be preparing a bid for the defender, the report suggests there is thought to be a significant gap in valuation between them and Aston Villa at this stage of the potential deal.

Konsa currently has two years remaining on his current contract at Villa Park and is open to discussing new terms, but with no agreement reached at this point, he is also keeping an open mind on his future.

Villa find themselves in a difficult position this summer as they are somewhat restricted in what they can do in the transfer market due to breaking UEFA spending rules. That means any player they bring in must be offset by a sale, but they are allowed to lose up to £52million in wages and transfers in the next two years.

Youri Tielemans has already left the club, joining Manchester United for £35m, and Lucas Digne is also expected to follow him out the exit door to Paris Saint-Germain, but they are working on deals to sign Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes, Joao Palhinha and Pervis Estupinan.

Konsa isn't the only Villa player Arsenal are targeting this summer as they also hold a strong interest in Morgan Rogers. Reports surfaced on Thursday that Arteta's side are set to accelerate talks to sign the England international as they prepare a bid for his services.

Both players are currently at the World Cup with the Three Lions and are preparing for Saturday's third place play-off against France following the heavily criticised 2-1 semi-final defeat to Argentina.

Interest in Konsa comes at a great time for the Gunners as there are currently concerns over William Saliba's for the foreseeable future. The defender sustained a back injury in his nation's 2-0 loss at the hands of Spain and there are varying reports over how long he could be absent for.

Given his versatilty, Konsa would be a brilliant incoming to act as a replacement for his French counterpart if he is ruled out for an extended period, and also to provide general defensive cover. However, his willingness to remain at Villa means Arsenal must convince his club to let him go and hope the player is ready to make the move to the Premier League champions.

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