Arsenal are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, with the transfer valued at around £50m, according to The Athletic.
Transfer negotiations progress
The report states that the transfer is advancing but not yet finalised, noting that dialogue at the ownership level is underway to reduce the gap between the two clubs' valuations. Arsenal lodged an offer with Villa towards the start of the current trading period, which was not well received. Konsa's valuation within Emirates Stadium was £40m, while Unai Emery's side wanted closer to £60m.
Exactly how much he will cost is unclear, but it is certainly fair to assume it will likely be in the region of £50m, given what Villa wanted and what Arsenal were willing to pay.
Konsa's recent form and absence
Konsa was an England regular at the World Cup and has subsequently not played any part in Villa's pre-season. Watkins and Emi Martinez were also given extra time off and thus missed the UEFA Super Cup defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Konsa's rise to prominence at Villa has seen him become a key player for Unai Emery, and the manager has previously spoken of his importance to the club.
Emery's praise for Konsa
"When I arrived at Aston Villa and I analysed all the players, Konsa was a player who is good, sometimes not good, now I can tell him that he is better than he believes," Emery told Sky Sports. "I believe in him more than he believes in him."
"Sometimes the problem being focused 100 per cent and be concentrated more than he was doing. He can be ambitious himself to improve, develop but through every training session practising."
"Sometimes he was being comfortable playing better, playing worse, but when we were trying to explain to him the capacity to go up, he was progressively taking it. Now, still a lot of work to do to improve and this is my challenge of him, trying to get better. He is a better player than he is playing now and he is a better player than he thinks he is."
"He is still young, but now he is taking more experiences, for example in Europe, playing in the top ten, playing in the top five. Also playing for his national team now as well."
"This step ahead is perfect, but he must have another challenge again himself and I am going to try to push him to get it. It is to lead the team, speak more, practice every day trying to improve through each practice and then play wishing more than before but thinking overall for the team and for the club to increase the club. This is the mentality."
Konsa's journey and leadership
Konsa joined Villa at the age of 21 having already made over 125 appearances in English football and after turning 26 back in October, it's time for him to lead from the back and rise to Emery's challenge.
Speaking about Emery's influence on him, Konsa previously said: "His CV speaks for itself, he has won European trophies. When I heard he was coming in I was really excited and I knew that I would excel under a manager like Unai. He has really developed me into a man. I was a man, but now I feel like a man on the pitch."
"I'm becoming a leader and he has helped me in ways that I can't explain. On the ball, being in the positions, believing in myself and helping others around me. I think the boss at Villa has really demanded that of me. It's always in my head [being a leader] going into games and doing it on a weekly basis."
"I've tried to adapt to the boss' style and the way he wants me to play. I just want to continue doing that. I watch teams like City and Arsenal who play great football and that's something I've always wanted to do at Villa. We're starting to do that now."
