Arsenal has agreed to sign English defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa in a deal worth at least £50 million ($68 million), according to reports on Wednesday.
The Premier League champions had attempted to sign Konsa earlier in the transfer window, before briefly switching attention to Bayer Leverkusen defender Jarell Quansah.
But Arsenal has reverted its attention to Konsa and is on the brink of sealing a deal for the 28-year-old, who featured for England at the recent World Cup,.
It would be expected for Konsa to slot into the heart of Arsenal’s defence alongside Gabriel Magalhaes, with William Saliba sidelined for an “extended period” with a back problem and Jurrien Timber recovering from a groin injury.
ALSO READ | Gianni Infantino loses more support as FIFA official says COO dismissal was ‘final straw’
If the transfer is finalised, Konsa will follow Bruno Guimaraes, Christos Tzolis, Piero Hincapie and Illan Meslier as Arsenal’s summer transfers.
Last season, Konsa had helped Villa finish fourth in the Premier League and end a 30-year trophy drought by winning the Europa League.
He did not feature for Unai Emery’s side during the pre-season friendlies or in the UEFA Super Cup defeat against Paris Saint-Germain.
Konsa is set to become the latest Villa star to leave this window. Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea, Youri Tielemans moved to Manchester United and Lucas Digne was allowed to sign for PSG.
Arsenal opens its Premier League title defence at home to promoted Coventry on Friday.
Published on Aug 19, 2026