'I've heard from my friend Ezri Konsa has agreed terms with Arsenal and will join next week'

Aston Villa centre-back Ezri Konsa could complete his desired move to Arsenal next week. 

That is according to former Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that his former club will get a “very good deal” in a SCR sense.

Football Insider revealed last Friday that Konsa has agreed personal terms with Arsenal but they have not yet finalised a fee and the structure of the deal with Villa.

However, Wyness expects the two clubs to meet in the middle and agree a £50m deal alongside a series of add-ons, with the player already understood to have agreed personal terms to move to North London.

Konsa is into the final two years of his contract at Villa Park, and has seen his stock reach an all-time high after becoming a key figure for both club and country.

The England international is a top defensive target for Mikel Arteta, and Wyness believes that the Arsenal boss will ultimately get his way.

Aston Villa running out of Ezri Konsa resistance

Villa’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Villa Park between 2016 and 2018 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs – believes that his former club are effectively running out of resistance when it comes to fending off the interest in Konsa.

The Scottish businessman feels that Unai Emery and Co. do not have a “strong hand of cards” when it comes to trying to dictate the defender’s long-term future.

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained that he expects Konsa to become an Arsenal player by the end of next week.

“Well, Villa haven't got a really strong hand of cards here, and I do expect the deal to get done with Arsenal,” he said.

“Look, it's a very good SCR deal for Villa, which is what they're very conscious of as well. I think they’re going to get to somewhere near £50m plus add-ons; I think that will be what we're expecting to do.

“I heard this morning from one of my Villa friends that the personal terms had been agreed. So it's moving that way now; the clubs have got to find a way forward.

“For Villa, if they don’t do it now and then he was to hold out, and they lose him after a year, then that's not going to be any good for them. So I expect this to get done, and I do expect him to be an Arsenal player, probably next week.”

Emi Martinez exit now also certain

Former Villa scout Bryan King told Football Insider earlier this week that it is now almost a certainty that Emiliano Martinez will depart the second city outfit before the end of the window.

The Villans are on the verge of announcing Zion Suzuki as their new number one, while Martinez has just seen a potential move to Juventus collapse in the final stages.

However, King believes that there is zero chance of the Argentine being willing to play second fiddle to Suzuki, and expects a move away to now be inevitable in the coming weeks.

Martinez’s ongoing finger injury provided concern for Juventus, and that is creating a barrier to any exit being sealed at the moment.