Aston Villa are reportedly in advanced talks to sign Brentford defender Ezri Konsa in a deal worth more than £10 million. 

Villa boss Dean Smith is looking to bolster his squad after their promotion from the Championship last season and has already brought in centre-back Tyrone Mings from Bournemouth this summer.

Smith was the Brentford boss when Konsa joined the club last summer and it seems he is keen on reuniting with the defender at Villa Park.

According to Football Insider, the Premier League club have held extensive discussions with the Bees over a move for Konsa and are closing in on an agreement for him.

The report suggests that the fee for the Englishman will be more than £10 million.

The 21-year-old played an important role for the West London side last season, appearing in all but four of their Championship games.

Konsa arrived at Griffin Park in June 2018, joining from Charlton Athletic for a reported fee of £2.5 million.

Thomas Frank has been busy this summer and has already signed two new centre-backs, Ethan Pinnock from Barnsley and Pontus Jansson from Leeds United, which may mean the club are prepared to let Konsa move on.

Verdict

Konsa was a mainstay in the Brentford side last season but given their business this summer I can understand why they would be willing to let him go, especially at that price.

In Jansson and Pinnock, Frank has got two other good options at centre-back and he may feel that losing the 21-year-old would not be a huge blow.

Konsa's exit for a fee of over £10 million may also mean that Brentford are in a stronger position financially to reject offers for attacking duo Neal Maupay and Said Benrahma, who have both been linked with a move.

Even if they lose Konsa, if Brentford are able to keep Maupay and Benrahma they could have a real chance of reaching the play-offs this season.