{"id":818857,"date":"2026-08-19T14:48:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/818857\/"},"modified":"2026-08-19T14:48:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T14:48:19","slug":"arsenal-agree-51m-ezri-konsa-deal-with-aston-villa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/818857\/","title":{"rendered":"Arsenal agree \u00a351m Ezri Konsa deal with Aston Villa"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arsenal have agreed a deal to sign Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa worth \u00a351million ($69.4m) plus add-ons.<\/p>\n

Konsa said goodbye to his Villa team-mates on Wednesday and is expected to undergo a medical on Thursday.<\/p>\n

The Athletic reported earlier on Wednesday that Arsenal were closing in on a deal for the England international as they sought defensive reinforcement with William Saliba and Jurrien Timber currently sidelined with injuries.<\/p>\n

Konsa, 28, holds particular appeal given his ability to cover at both centre-back and right-back and has been high on Arsenal\u2019s target list all summer.<\/p>\n

Work is now advancing with Villa to finalise the move after dialogue at ownership level to reduce the valuation gap for the defender.<\/p>\n

Konsa returned to Villa for pre-season on Monday after being given extended time off following the World Cup.<\/p>\n

The Athletic\u00a0reported<\/a> on Friday Arsenal also held an interest in Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah as they consider their options at the back this summer.<\/p>\n

Konsa has two years remaining on his Villa contract, having signed a five-year deal in September 2023.<\/p>\n

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\n Konsa won the Europa League with Villa last season. (Mike Hewitt\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The defender was an important member of England\u2019s squad which reached the World Cup semi-finals this summer. He started every match until the 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the last-four stage, when he appeared as a 72nd-minute substitute.<\/p>\n

He was typically deployed in the centre of defence, but also provided right-back cover following Quansah\u2019s two-match suspension, a position he has also covered for Villa.<\/p>\n

Konsa has been a mainstay in Unai Emery\u2019s Villa squad in recent years which has consistently competed at the top end of the Premier League and in Europe.<\/p>\n

He made 48 appearances in all competitions last season as Villa won the Europa League and finished fourth in the Premier League.<\/p>\n

In the 2024-25 campaign, Konsa started all but one of Villa\u2019s Champions League fixtures as they reached the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.<\/p>\n

Konsa has made 286 appearances for the club since joining from Brentford in 2019.<\/p>\n

Arsenal\u2019s title ambitions are clear<\/p>\n

Analysis by Arsenal correspondent Art de Roche<\/p>\n

Arsenal\u2019s summer-long interest in Konsa after Saliba\u2019s back injury was a sign of Mikel Arteta\u2019s desire to be well stacked with quality options across the pitch throughout the course of the 2026-27 season.<\/p>\n

The Arsenal manager could have used Cristhian Mosquera and Ben White as covering centre-backs in Saliba\u2019s absence, but Timber not yet returning from his groin injury may have made the backline a more pressing issue.<\/p>\n

Speaking ahead of their Community Shield win over Manchester City, Arteta said: \u201cWe want to improve and evolve the squad. In order to do that we have detected some areas that can be strengthened and that is what we are trying to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reports of Arsenal\u2019s interest in Konsa were met with debate as to whether a 28-year-old centre-back would be necessary at a relatively high price point when they had shown interest in other defensive profiles at the start of the window.<\/p>\n

To push forward with Konsa, however, may give an indication of how seriously Arteta is taking Arsenal\u2019s title defence. Rather than looking at a younger profile, he is going after yet another experienced Premier League player who should have few issues plugging into his system.<\/p>\n

During the World Cup, Dean Smith, who bought Konsa for Brentford and Aston Villa, told BBC 5Live<\/a> that his biggest strengths are that \u201che\u2019s really calm on the ball and his one-v-one defending is outstanding\u201d.<\/p>\n

Even with the upsides of the potential signing, Konsa\u2019s game-time when Saliba returns will be interesting to watch. Saliba will no doubt be eased back into action, but when he is in the flow, what happens to Konsa?<\/p>\n

Konsa can play at right-back too, which will be seen as a major benefit, but he is also accustomed to playing 80-90 per cent of Aston Villa\u2019s minutes in a season. A chance to be part of Arsenal\u2019s hunt for trophies may soften any qualms about game-time later in the season, however.<\/p>\n

Where does this leave Villa after recent sales?<\/p>\n

Analysis by Aston Villa correspondent Jacob Tanswell<\/p>\n

Konsa leaving Villa would be the latest exit in a summer of upheaval at the club.<\/p>\n

Manager Unai Emery has taken the club to another level since taking over four years ago, but has done so mainly with a core group of players.<\/p>\n

The spine of last season\u2019s team has been slowly dismantled this summer, with Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne leaving and the future of goalkeeper Emi Martinez uncertain.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, there has been interest from Saudi Arabia in forward Ollie Watkins.<\/p>\n

Should Konsa also leave, it will be a very new-look Villa who kick off the new Premier League season this weekend.<\/p>\n