Arsenal is aiming to spend £60m to sign Bukayo Saka, who many call ‘one of the best’.
Arsenal are getting ready to defend their Premier League title, and the transfer window is going to be very important. The Gunners ended a 22-year wait for the league crown in May, winning their last game against Crystal Palace to finally bring home the trophy.
After the World Cup started in June, the celebrations quieted down. Since then, manager Mikel Arteta has been busy working behind the scenes to bring in some of his top choices to strengthen the team.
Arsenal have been linked with Morocco’s talented Ayyoub Bouaddi, who could help in central midfield. They are also keeping an eye on PSG winger Bradley Barcola as a potential long-term replacement for Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard. A midfielder and a winger are two big priorities for Arteta right now.
But Arteta is also thinking about improving the defence with some Premier League experience, which is why they’re interested in Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa. According to The Telegraph’s Matt Law, Arsenal see Konsa as a flexible player who can play central defence or right back. Their interest is “tentative” for now, so it’s unclear if they will make a formal offer.
Arteta is said to be leading Arsenal’s chase for the 28-year-old defender, who still has two years left on his contract at Villa and could cost around £60 million. Arsenal have also shown admiration for another Villa star, Morgan Rogers, but he’s much harder to get – it might take a British record £130 million to sign him.
Konsa has become one of the best defenders in the Premier League recently and would be a great addition to Arsenal’s strong defence. Last season, he completed 95% of his passes per 90 minutes — the highest in the league — and ranked in the top 14% for winning duels, showing just how skilled he is.
He’s currently showing those talents at the World Cup for England, playing every minute of their first four games. If Arsenal do make a move for Konsa, many players would be happy — including Bukayo Saka.
Saka and Konsa have become friends while playing for England, and Saka has praised Konsa’s talent as “one of the best in the Premier League” for one-on-one defending. Saka said in 2024, “Sometimes in training, I do one-on-one sessions with Ezri. For me, he’s one of the best in the Premier League at that, so it helps both of us get better. I really enjoy going up against him.”
Konsa is known as one of the toughest defenders to beat in the league — last season, he was only dribbled past four times in over 3,000 minutes. It’s easy to see why Saka prefers playing with him rather than against him!