Arsenal value Ezri Konsa at around £20m less than Aston Villa want for the transfer, holding up a potential deal for the England international.
Following similar reports last week, James McNicholas has confirmed for The Athletic that Arsenal maintain an interest in Aston Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa, but whilst Villa want £60m, the Gunners want to pay £40m.
Tom Collomosse had reported for the Daily Mail in recent days that the Gunners hadn’t given up hope of signing Konsa this summer, adding that the Villa squad were becoming increasingly resigned to the idea of the centre-back’s departure.
Arsenal aren’t the only club in the race for Konsa, with Liverpool also reportedly monitoring the situation. But perhaps the Gunners have the most pressing need, considering William Saliba’s injury and the continuing absence of Jurrien Timber.
Collomosse suggests Konsa was also one of Arsenal’s principal targets going into the summer, along with Bruno Guimaraes and Vinicius Junior. The Gunners have only secured the signing of one of the three so far.
Arsenal’s initial bid for Konsa was reportedly only a little over half of Villa’s £60m valuation, which didn’t go down well with the club’s co-owner Nassef Sawiris.
Sami Mokbel added for the BBC that the defender is Arsenal’s first-choice option, and the Gunners hold a ‘major interest’ in him. But if their initial bid was in the region of £30m and their valuation caps out at around £40m, it’s a long way to Villa’s asking price of £60m.
Konsa should be returning from his post-World Cup holidays this week, which may help to speed things up.
Transfer sagas often start to accelerate after the holidays, with Bruno spending just a day or so back with Newcastle before leaving for his Arsenal medical, and Vinicius only needing a couple of days back with Real Madrid before committing to a new contract.
If the same is the case with Konsa, this could be a pivotal week for the defender’s future.
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