Arsenal have agreed to sign Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa
Arsenal have agreed to sign Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa
Welcome to football.london's Arsenal transfer blog on Thursday, August 20.
Arsenal are closing in on signing Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa as Mikel Arteta tries to further strengthen his defensive unit before the end of the transfer window. The 28-year-old is set to have a medical before completing a £50million move to the Emirates Stadium.
Elsewhere, the Gunners remain in the market to add more attacking flair to their squad with Julian Alvarez still right at the top of their shortlist. The Atletico Madrid forward sat out of his side's 2-0 win against Malaga on Wednesday due to speculation around his future.
Juventus star Kenan Yildiz is another that Arsenal have been linked with, although the Serie A side are desperate to keep him at the club and are expected to demand a high fee this summer.
On the exit front, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are two players that could depart north London before the deadline, while Gabriel Martinelli's future is still uncertain.
Stay tuned with us for all the updates throughout the day...
Diego Simeone delivered an update on Julian Alvarez after the Atletico Madrid forward missed his side's 2-0 win against Malaga on Wednesday amid speculation around his future.
Simeone said: "I deal with the sporting side. [Julian] is an extraordinary lad. We spoke, as we always do... We need more training sessions with him. He's the best player we have in attack, I've said that and I still think that. I want to build a team around him."
Diego Simeone has offered an update on the condition of Julian Alvarez amid transfer links to Arsenal
Diego Simeone has offered an update on the condition of Julian Alvarez amid transfer links to Arsenal
(Image: (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images))
According to BBC Sport, Arsenal are prioritising loan offers for Ethan Nwaneri.
The defending Premier League champions are said to want to avoid losing the 19-year-old on a permanent basis.
Nwaneri endured a difficult loan with Marseille during the second-half of last season and his future remains under scrutiny after left out of the squad for the Community Shield.
The Gunners reportedly believe for the players' sake, regular senior football would benefit the attacker.
AC Milan, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund and Fulham have all been mooted.
Ethan Nwaneri is expected to leave Arsenal on loan for the 2026/27 campaign
Ethan Nwaneri is expected to leave Arsenal on loan for the 2026/27 campaign(Image: (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images))
Arsenal have scheduled a medical for Ezri Konsa after reaching an agreement for his transfer with Aston Villa. The England international has been linked with a move to Emirates Stadium all summer and now looks set to join Mikel Arteta's squad.
On Wednesday morning, the transfer began to advance and The Athletic are now reporting it has been finalised with the Gunners to pay £51million plus add-ons for his signature. Arsenal valued him at £40m while Villa wanted closer to £60m and it seems the latter have got their way but not quite at the fee they initially demanded.
It had been claimed earlier in the day that dialogue between the two clubs at ownership level was taking place in order to bridge the gap in valuation. With that resolved, Konsa has said his goodbyes to Villa players and staff and will undergo a medical with Arsenal on Thursday.
Read the full story here.
Arsenal are now expected to sign Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa
Arsenal are now expected to sign Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa(Image: (Photo by Maddie Meyer - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images))
Hello and welcome to our new Arsenal transfer news blog on this fine Thursday morning.
Keep up-to-date with the latest live updates from the Emirates Stadium throughout the day...