**Arsenal are expected to make an improved offer for Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, according to reports.**
The _Daily Mail_ reporter Tom Collomosse (who has strong contacts in the Midlands) [claims](https://www.dailymail.com/sport/football/article-16029863/Arsenal-agree-75m-deal-Bruno-Guimaraes-Man-United-land-14m-goalkeeper-Mo-Salah-flies-Turkey-WINDOW-WATCH.html) that the Gunners did make an initial proposal for the England international last month.
Their opening bid was, though, considerably below [**Konsa**](https://goonernews.com/blog/arsenal-transfer-news-fan-poll-ezri-konsa/)‘s asking price, which has been set at £60m.
Collomosse says that the Premier League champions are now “set to come back” with a fresh proposal as they seek to secure their “top target” to reinforce the backline.
Why are Arsenal so keen on the defender?
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Konsa’s ability to play as a centre-back or at right-back particularly appeals to manager Mikel Arteta, who has two players with similar qualities (Piero Hincapie and Riccardo Calafiori) on the opposite flank.
In the short term, the 28-year-old would provide cover for William Saliba, who is expected to be unavailable for several months with a back injury that flared up at the World Cup.
When Saliba returns to fitness, Konsa would then share his minutes with the Frenchman and Jurrien Timber, with the Dutchman having faced his own fitness problems in recent months.
Will Villa lower their valuation for Konsa?
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At the moment, it seems unlikely that the Midlands club will soften their current stance, mostly because they have already sold a number of key players (Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne), and they are not under pressure financially.
However, Konsa is inside the final two years of his contract, and as we have seen with Bruno Guimaraes, clubs can say that a player is not for sale and still offload them. The Brazilian international’s move from Newcastle to the Emirates is expected to be announced imminently.
One note of caution is that Konsa has been linked with another club, Liverpool, in recent days, but there is a feeling that the Reds wouldn’t be prepared to come close to matching Villa’s valuation, leaving the way clear for a move to Arsenal.