Ezri Konsa: Arsenal complete £55m deal for Aston Villa and England defender

Arsenal have completed the £55m deal to sign defender Ezri Konsa from Aston Villa.

“It’s a proud moment for me and my family to play for one of the best teams in the world,” Konsa said after Arsenal announced the move.

“I want to keep winning, hungry to win and that’s what I’m here for. I’m here to win. I’ll do everything in my power to continue bringing success to this club.”

The England international has signed a four-year contract with the option of an additional 12 months after passing his medical. He joins for a fixed fee of £51m with a potential £4m in add-ons.

The 28-year-old could now make his Arsenal debut against his old club at Villa Park in the Monday Night Football on August 31.

Konsa has become Arsenal’s fifth major summer signing after Piero Hincapie joined permanently from Bayer Leverkusen and the arrivals of Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes.

Konsa’s arrival comes after the Premier League champions were looking for a new defender with William Saliba out for an extended period of time, while Jurrien Timber remains sidelined with a long-term groin problem.

Villa had initially held out for £60m, with Arsenal hoping to pay much less, but the two clubs found a compromise on Thursday to strike a deal for the former Brentford defender.

Arsenal also looked into a potential move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah but have chosen to sign his England team-mate Konsa. Both players have a similar profile and can play at right-back and centre-back.