Arsenal reignite interest in Aston Villa's Konsa
Konsa was a key player for England at this summer's World Cup
- Published
Arsenal are reigniting their interest in Aston Villa central defender Ezri Konsa.
Konsa, 28, is still on holiday after the World Cup and is not with the Villa squad for Wednesday's Super Cup game against Paris St-Germain.
The Gunners' initial summer move for Konsa did not materialise, with the London club only willing to pay in the region of £30m for the England international who is valued at £60m by Villa.
Konsa played 48 games in all competitions last season for Aston Villa, winning the Europa League.
Having successfully signed Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, Premier League champions Arsenal have turned their attention to defence and are accelerating their interest in Konsa, whose versatility is seen favourably at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal accept they will need to significantly improve their original offer if they are to be successful in their efforts to land Konsa but whether Villa are willing to let the defender leave for a fee under their valuation remains to be seen.
Multiple sources have told BBC Sport the Gunners have also held exploratory talks with Tottenham over a potential move for their club captain Cristian Romero.
Spurs are thought to have no intention of selling the 28-year-old to Arsenal given the intense rivalry between the two north London clubs.
But that has not prevented Arsenal from making enquiries into what would be one of the most surprising transfers of the summer window.
A knee injury against Sunderland in April ruled Romero out for the remainder of the domestic season but he returned to be a starter for Argentina at the World Cup, where he played 70 minutes of the final defeat by Spain.
