Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa would like to join Arsenal during the summer transfer window, according to The Daily Mail.
The Gunners recently suffered a big setback as William Saliba sustained a back injury on World Cup duty for France against Spain in the semi-final.
Saliba has reportedly opted against surgery, but The Daily Mail claim that he will still require a prolonged rest of three to four months.
Hence, Arsenal are eyeing a suitable cover in the right centre-back position.
Villa’s Konsa is one of the names on their wishlist, and it is reported that the 28-year-old ‘would like to join’ the Gunners this summer.
However, the clubs are miles apart regarding the valuation after Arsenal’s recent enquiry.
While the Gunners value him at £30-35 million, Villa are looking for more like £60m to sell Konsa, who can also operate as a right-back.
Arsenal should come to terms with market inflation
The current transfer window has witnessed several big-money deals.
We have recently seen Morgan Rogers join Chelsea for £117m, while Elliot Anderson made the switch to Manchester City for £116m.
Prior to that, Tottenham Hotspur landed the services of Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali for £85m and £100m respectively.
There has been a clear inflation in price tags, which means Arsenal can’t anticipate signing their top targets at their desired fee.
Konsa will be 29 in October, but the Englishman is a fantastic ball-playing centre-back and would be a proper deputy for Saliba.
He had a pass completion of 95 percent in the league last term and also won 67 percent of his duels with three clearances and four recoveries per game.
Konsa currently earns £75,000 per week at Villa, and the Gunners could easily double his wages.
John Stones is available on a free transfer, but he was on a hefty salary of £250,000 weekly at Manchester City before his exit. He could seek a big signing-on fee too.
Konsa’s lower salary and younger age compared to John Stones (32) could be why manager Mikel Arteta is driving the pursuit of him.
Still, Arsenal should come to terms with the current market inflation, and may have to offer £45m plus £5m in add-ons to persuade Villa to sell Konsa.
It may appear a huge outlay for a 28-year-old, but Arsenal need someone who can seamlessly fit into the central defence alongside Gabriel Magalhaes.
Cristhian Mosquera, Jurrien Timber and Ben White are currently the right-footed options that Arteta could utilise in the injury absence of Saliba.
However, White has largely played as a right-back in his Arsenal career. He is just returning from a knee injury and needs to be handled with caution.
Timber, on the other hand, is still rehabilitating from a groin issue, while Mosquera is not the finished article and has the tendency to make more fouls.
Konsa would be an ideal acquisition to fill in for Saliba, and it remains to be seen whether sporting director Andrea Berta makes an improved offer.
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