Arsenal could hand a debut to Ezri Konsa against Aston Villa at the end of the month.
Standard Sport understands the Konsa has been Arsenal's top defensive target all summer with manager Mikel Arteta keen to bring in reinforcements amid injuries to William Saliba and Jurrien Timber.
Transfer Breakthrough and Registration Deadline
A deal had looked to be in doubt as the Gunners had no intention of meeting Villa's £60million valuation of the 28-year-old, though following a breakthrough regarding a compromise, the pursuit has now been stepped up.
While a final agreement between Arsenal and Villa is yet to be struck, the Premier League champions are increasingly confident of doing so as they look to complete their fourth signing of the summer window - after Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes.
Should the Gunners get the green light to agree personal terms and sort a medical, they will face a race against the clock to have the England international available for selection against Coventry City.
For Konsa to be eligible to face the Premier League new-boys he must be registered by Thursday's 12pm BST deadline because the Gunners kick off the new season on Friday night at the Emirates Stadium.
Potential Debut Date and Fitness Concerns
With the Coventry game likely to come too soon then the next opportunity to hand the defender a debut will come a day before the transfer window slams shut, ironically at Villa Park, as Arsenal face Unai Emery's side in their first away game of the new season on August 31.
Capable of operating in central defence and at right-back, Konsa's versatility and Premier League experience will appeal to Arteta, in addition to his impressive ground duel success rate.
With that said, Konsa will be short of match fitness having not played a single minute of Villa's summer friendlies and the UEFA Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
This is because the defender was afforded extra time off after helping England finish third at the World Cup, though he has since resumed training at Bodymoor Heath.
