Aston Villa defender is being closely tracked by Premier League giants ahead of January transfer window: report

Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa is being monitored by Liverpool and Manchester City, according to a new transfer report.

Villa have had to rely on their defence to rebuild their form in the Premier League this season and have benefited from having one of the very best defenders around.

Konsa joined newly promoted Villa in July 2019 and has evolved into one of the best English players in his position, a status recognised by England manager Thomas Tuchel. The 28-year-old is a contender to play at the back for the national team at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

As the January transfer window creeps over the horizon, the unwelcome distraction of Villa’s financial situation is coming with it. The chances of them selling a senior player in the winter are very small but speculation about the likes of Konsa and Morgan Rogers will be rife.

Another unwanted summer sale of some description in order to comply with Premier League and UEFA financial regulations seems likely. Konsa will be at the bottom of Villa’s list but undoubtedly near the top of the target lists for a whole host of potential buying clubs.

Caught Offside is getting the ball rolling early with a claim that Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City are ‘monitoring’ the Villa defender. Why wouldn’t they be?

‘A more achievable target’

“Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City are among the clubs monitoring his situation closely, [according to] sources close to the agents industry,” reports Caught Offside.

“Liverpool were previously interested in Konsa during the summer window but opted not to make a formal bid. With their pursuit of Marc Guéhi becoming complicated due to Crystal Palace’s high valuation, Konsa has re-emerged as a more achievable target.”

If ‘achievable target’ means ‘technically possible but really bloody difficult’ then yeah, sure, I guess.

Given Guéhi’s contract situation and obvious desire to make the move, one might surmise that it’s the Palace captain who’s the more realistic target irrespective of Villa’s possible need to sell someone in the summer.

Can Villa keep hold of Konsa?

“Several other clubs, including Chelsea, West Ham United, Newcastle United, and Crystal Palace, have also shown interest,” continues the report.

Read that sentence again. Yeah.

Nevertheless, Villa might not be in a position to shut down every approach for their best players next summer so get ready to see Konsa lining up for West Ham in August, folks!

The England international’s contract runs to the summer of 2028 so Villa do have a degree of control over his destiny and will surely be exploring a new contract with him this season.

They won’t sell Konsa unless it works for them financially and strategically, and selling a player of his quality to teams immediately above or below them – or miles below them – doesn’t fit the bill.

The post Aston Villa defender is being closely tracked by Premier League giants ahead of January transfer window: report appeared first on AVillaFan.com – Aston Villa Fan Site.