Aston Villa are preparing to fend off Arsenal’s interest in Ezri Konsa and Morgan Rogers when the English pair return from the World Cup. According to ExpressAndStar.com, Arsenal are targeting both, with Villa set to resist.
Arsenal have been pursuing Rodgers for a long time and the 23-year-old is believed to be their top target for the striker. A move for Konsa is seen as more likely following William Saliba’s back injury, which could keep the French defender out for several months.
Villa do not want to lose a single player and are ready to offer Konsa a new contract. The 28-year-old has two years left and is valued at around £60 million. It is believed that the Gunners do not want to meet this figure.
Rodgers has scored 50 Premier League goals in the last two seasons and is highly valued, with chairman Nassef Sawiris unlikely to consider offers below £100m. He signed a contract until 2031 last year and although Villa insist he is not for sale, that is unlikely to stop his bid.
Konsa and Rodgers are expected to feature in Saturday’s World Cup bronze medal match when England meet France. They will face team-mate Lucas Digne, who is expected to join Paris Saint-Germain for £8m next week.
None of the players are expected to return until after Villa’s Far East tour next month, with World Cup participants Unai Emery given extra time off. The squad returned this week, traveling to Walsall on Tuesday, and John McGinn is set to join games in Indonesia, Thailand and Hong Kong against Bayern Munich.