Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa
Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa(Image: Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
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Aston Villa are expected to hold contract talks with starting centre backs Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres.
That’s according to the Daily Mail who say discussions could start before the new Premier League season, which Villa start at Brighton on August 23.
Both have two seasons left on their current deals but the report notes UEFA’s financial constraints could make it easier for Villa to renegotiate with their current players, than try to replace them in the transfer market.
They add the other issue is that with Konsa 28-years-old and Torres nine months older, Villa would find it hard to recoup much value in terms of a fee.
That said, upgrading Konsa and Torres is hardly a pressing matter.
The pair have played together 95 times since the latter arrived from Villarreal in 2023 – including all but the final two minutes of the Europa League quarter-final, semi-final and final ties last season.
Torres has played 109 times since Unai Emery brought him to the Premier League, while Konsa is one of the players Emery has used most in his entire career.
Speaking to Marca in March Torres was asked about his current deal, which runs until 2028 and he said: “We're achieving good things, and that's the plan. To keep playing in the Premier League, to keep playing in Europe.
"I think it's something that brings me positive things, and I see myself there until the end of my contract.”
Konsa, who joined Villa in 2019, last signed a deal in 2023, one that also runs for another couple of seasons.
The central defender is currently away at the World Cup with England and is a key player under Thomas Tuchel. Torres was not named in the Spain squad.
Konsa has been linked with a move to Arsenal in the last week or so.