Aston Villa are braced for a fresh bid from Arsenal for Ezri Konsa, according to the Daily Mail.
William Saliba is facing a lengthy injury absence after aggravating a back injury at the World Cup, and Gunners manager Mikel Arteta wants to sign Konsa.
However, their initial proposal was well below Villa’s £60 million valuation. They are expected to return with an improved bid for the 28-year-old.
The Midlands club want Konsa to sign a contract extension as he has two years remaining on his current deal.
Villans manager Unai Emery wants to make progress in the Champions League next season and is desperate to hold on to the Englishman.
Arsenal will hope an improved offer will tempt Villa, but they are not under pressure to sell after making around £140m from the sales of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans.
The Gunners were linked with a move for John Stones after he left Manchester City.
The England international has since joined Inter Milan and Arsenal may now pull out all the stops to sign Konsa.
He has proven himself in the Premier League, with almost 250 top-flight games under his belt.
His ability to play out from the back and remain comfortable in possession are qualities the Gunners admire.
