Arsenal have agreed a deal worth more than £50m to sign Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, with the player set to undergo a medical.
The 28-year-old will complete his move to Emirates Stadium after the two clubs finally reached an agreement on the transfer fee.
BBC Sport revealed last week that Arsenal had reopened talks with Villa over Konsa but initially fell short of striking a deal.
The Gunners briefly appeared to shift their attention toward Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah before refocusing their efforts on the Villa defender.
Arsenal’s persistence ultimately paid off, with the club now confirmed to have secured a deal for the England international.
Konsa joined Aston Villa in July 2019 and has gone on to make 286 appearances for the club across seven seasons.
He featured 48 times last term in all competitions, scoring two goals and contributing one assist as Villa lifted the Europa League and finished fourth in the Premier League.
Villa’s top-four finish secured Champions League football for the 2026-27 season under manager Unai Emery.
Konsa played in every match of England’s World Cup campaign as the Three Lions finished third in the tournament.
The defender had not featured at all during Villa’s pre-season, including the 2-1 defeat to Paris St-Germain in the Uefa Super Cup, after being given four weeks off following the World Cup.
Speaking after the final warm-up match against Borussia Monchengladbach, Emery explained the absences of Konsa, Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins, saying: “They are joining us after this match.”
Villa’s summer has been turbulent despite the success of last season, with the club forced to navigate strict financial rules set by Uefa and the Premier League.
Morgan Rogers was sold to Chelsea for a record £117m, while Youri Tielemans, who like Rogers scored in May’s Europa League win over Freiburg, departed to Manchester United.
Left-back Lucas Digne was also allowed to leave for Paris St-Germain, with Atletico Madrid’s Matteo Ruggeri brought in as his replacement.
Goalkeeper Martinez is also reported to be set for a departure, leaving Villa facing significant uncertainty just four days before their Premier League opener at Brighton.
Skipper John McGinn remained defiant when asked about the upheaval, insisting the club retains the same structures and values that made them successful in recent years.
The scale of Villa’s squad transformation this summer is one that would typically unfold across two or three transfer windows rather than one.
Emery squeezed the maximum out of his players over the past two years, but the club now faces a pivotal fortnight before the transfer window slams shut.
