Arsenal complete £55m signing and Julian Alvarez reaches decision on being next | OneFootball

Arsenal have wrapped up a £55m move for Aston Villa defender, Ezri Konsa, while two reports have revealed the decision Julian Alvarez has made on joining next.

Arsenal are in win-now mode right now, as evidenced by the profile of player they’re targeting in the summer transfer window.

Bruno Guimaraes at 28 is very much a player for the here and now. It’s a similar story with Konsa, who for many a year, has been one of the Premier League’s best defenders.

Konsa, also 28, perhaps hasn’t quite got the recognition he deserves, which may well be due to playing for a club outside of the traditional ‘Big Six’.

Nevertheless, Arsenal are well aware of how valuable the England international is, and according to David Ornstein, the Gunners have now completed his signing to the tune of £55m.

Arsenal sign Ezri Konsa for £55m

Reporting for The Athletic, Ornstein wrote: ‘Ezri Konsa has completed a move to Arsenal from Aston Villa in a deal worth £51million plus £4m in potential add-ons.

‘The England international has signed a four-year contract with the option of a further year, having undergone a medical with the north London club.’

Konsa’s versatility – being comfortable at right-back or centre-back – will allow Arteta to breathe easily while William Saliba and Jurrien Timber recover from back and groin issues respectively.

Konsa won’t feature in Arsenal’s Premier League opener versus Coventry City on Friday night. However, a subsequent update from Ornstein revealed he is in line to make his Gunners debut in their second league match of the season.

Coincidentally, that fixture – on Monday, August 31 – is at Villa Park as Arsenal face Aston Villa.

Julian Alvarez reaches decision on joining Arsenal

Arsenal still intend to sign a superstar-calibre forward in the remaining days of the window. Either a left winger to serve as an upgrade on Gabriel Martinelli, or a potent new striker is wanted.

Their top target in the No 9 position is no secret – Julian Alvarez. However, it’s also no secret Alvarez’s dream is to sign for Barcelona.

Understandably, Atleti have ruled out selling to a fierce domestic rival like Barca. However, that hasn’t dampened Alvarez’s desire to leave the club.

A fresh update from Mundo Deportivo claimed Atletico Madrid have agreed to sell Alvarez to Arsenal in a deal which perhaps represents the best compromise for all parties. Alvarez’s situation in the Spanish capital was termed ‘untenable’ in the piece.

However, they were also keen to stress Alvarez does not want to join the Gunners, and instead, is still refusing to give up on his dream of signing for Barcelona.

Our colleagues over on TEAMtalk have now verified those claims, with their insider, Graeme Bailey, explaining: ‘Julian Alvarez is still not ready to consider a move to Arsenal as Barcelona remain determined to try and finalise a deal for the Atletico Madrid forward before the end of the transfer window.’

Bailey went on to add: ‘Alvarez is not ready to commit to Arsenal and Barcelona remain the preferred destination in his camp’s thinking.’