Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly among five giant Premier League clubs who are monitoring Ezri Konsa’s situation ahead of potential moves for the Aston Villa star.
TBR claim Man City and Tottenham are both ‘keeping tabs’ on Konsa, while Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea have all ‘watched him’ over the past year. Further afield, AC Milan, Napoli and RB Leipzig are all interested in the versatile defender.
Villa want to keep Konsa and are protected by his contract, which runs until June 2028. However, Villa may have to sell Konsa due to Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), and other clubs are resultantly aiming to ‘lure’ him away from the West Midlands.
Ezri Konsa to Man City: All the details
Man City and Tottenham are the main contenders to sign Konsa
Konsa’s solid performances have attracted interest from elite Premier League sides
Villa will need to offer him a new contract to keep potential suitors at bay
TBR describe Konsa as ‘one of England’s top defenders’ and an ‘integral’ player for Unai Emery.
The 28-year-old has taken his game to the next level in recent months and is now seen as someone who could make a big impact at City or Spurs.
City particularly like Konsa’s ability to thrive as either a centre-half or right-back, which could see him succeed from John Stones in Pep Guardiola’s squad.
TBR reporter Graeme Bailey said: “Ezri Konsa’s name is coming up quite a lot when you talk to clubs about potential defensive options.
“Clearly, Villa do not want to sell but he has just over two years left on his deal, he is now one of England’s top defenders, and Villa are likely going to have to tie him down to a new deal.
“Konsa is a nailed-on Premier League performer who is now showing it at international level. It is not a shock to me that some very big clubs are keeping an eye on him.”
The report does not reveal Konsa’s price tag, though other outlets have claimed he will cost £30.5million (€35m / $41m) or more to sign.
Liverpool were linked with Konsa in July, having identified him as an alternative to Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi.
Liverpool remain frontrunners for Guehi, but they will face competition for him from City, Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Returning to Konsa, he was previously rotated during his Villa career but is now one of the first names on the team sheet under Emery.
Indeed, Konsa has featured in 11 of Villa’s 14 games so far this season, which includes the 1-0 win over City on Sunday.
The London-born defender has been at Villa Park since July 2019 but could be tempted to join City given their massive success under Guardiola.
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How would Konsa signing impact City’s defensive options?
Were Konsa to join City, then he could rival the likes of Rico Lewis and Matheus Nunes for a starting spot at right-back.
City are known to be in the market for a new right-back, having previously set their sights on Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento.
More importantly, though, Konsa would strengthen Guardiola’s centre-back ranks.
He could emerge as Stones’ replacement. The latter is a top-class performer on his day but has had bad luck with injuries.
Stones’ contract expires at the end of the season, while he recently admitted he considered retiring last term amid his injury woes.
Konsa could help City to move on from Stones in the coming years by forming a strong partnership with either Ruben Dias or Josko Gvardiol.
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