Arsenal are set to make a fresh approach for Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa as they close in on the signing of Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes.
The Premier League champions have so far welcomed Christos Tzolis and Illan Meslier to their squad at the Emirates Stadium, while they also have activated a clause to sign Piero Hincapie on a permanent transfer.
And a fourth deal is close to being confirmed after the Gunners finally reached an agreement to sign Guimaraes after long, drawn-out negotiations with Newcastle. The Brazilian has already completed his medical at Arsenal and is set to further bolster Mikel Arteta's options in central midfield.
Further incomings expected
Arsenal are still looking for further incomings, and remain hopeful of pulling off the blockbuster signing of Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid. The winger was locked in talks with the Spanish giants on Wednesday, with the Gunners poised to pounce if the 26-year-old fails to agree terms on a new contract.
And elsewhere, The Daily Mail reports that Arsenal are set to make a second bid for England defender Konsa as they look to strengthen their defence following William Saliba's back injury.
Saliba helped France reach the semi-finals of the World Cup, but aggravated a back injury in the process and will now be out for an 'extended period', Arsenal have said.
Villa's stance on Konsa
The Gunners made an initial proposal for Konsa earlier in the summer, but that was said to be well below Villa's £60million valuation for the 28-year-old. However, Arsenal have not given up hope of landing their top target for central defence and could test Villa's resolve yet again with a follow-up offer.
Unai Emery's side have already seen Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne depart this summer, and so are under no financial pressure to sell Konsa. And the report claims that Villa will only consider letting Konsa move to the Emirates if they have first sourced a suitable replacement.
Konsa featured in all eight matches for England at the World Cup this summer as the Three Lions secured their best finish since 1966.
Teammate's praise
And the defender's talents were hailed by fellow England and Villa teammate Ollie Watkins, who described Konsa as one of the best central defenders in the Premier League.
'I think Ezri is just so underrated,' Watkins told talkSPORT. 'It's mad how under the radar he goes and for so many years he has been. I think he's one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League. People don't look at that straight away. I don't know if it's profile around Villa and stuff like that. People always look at the top teams. But defensively, he hardly puts a foot wrong.'
