Ezri Konsa transfer latest: Arsenal confident of reaching agreement for Mikel Arteta priority signing

Arsenal are increasingly confident of reaching an agreement with Aston Villa to sign Ezri Konsa.Arsenal identified Konsa as a top target earlier this summer but were unwilling to match Villa's valuation of £60million.Arsenal are understood to have now stepped up their pursuit of the 28-year-old and progress has been made.A final agreement has not yet been reached but talks are advancing and there is a growing belief that a deal will be finalised.He is said to be keen on making the move to north London, though Villa have up to this point been firm on their valuation after already losing Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans this summer.Mikel Arteta admires Konsa's versatility, seeing him as a player who will provide an option both at right-back and in the centre of defence.Per Opta stats, Konsa registered the best ground duel success rate last season of any player, winning 73.1% of them. Gabriel sat third in that metric with 69.9%.Read MoreWith those two players out, Arteta has used teenagers Louie Copley and Theo Julienne at right-back at times during pre-season.In the Community Shield against Manchester City on Sunday, Piero Hincapie was the only defender named on the bench.