Arsenal have agreed a £51m deal to sign Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa.
The Premier League champions have been hunting a defender after William Saliba was ruled out for an extended period and Jurrien Timber was sidelined with a long-term groin problem. The Gunners looked into Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah but chose to push ahead with England team-mate Konsa instead.
Both players share a similar profile and can play at right-back and centre-back. Villa had initially held out for £60m, with Arsenal hoping to pay much less, but the two clubs found a compromise on Thursday to strike a deal for the 28-year-old.
Konsa must be registered by midday on Thursday to be available for Arsenal’s Premier League opener against Coventry on Friday. If that paperwork isn’t ready in time, he could instead make his debut for the champions back at Aston Villa on August 31.
