Konsa could make Arsenal debut at Aston Villa after £51m transfer agreement struck

Ezri Konsa is expected to undergo a medical at Arsenal tomorrow after the Gunners struck a deal worth in the region of £50million plus add-ons for the England international.

Konsa, who grew up supporting Tottenham, pushed for the move following an extended break after the World Cup.

Premier League champions Arsenal are not expected to beat Thursday's 12pm registration deadline in time for Konsa to feature in their opener against Coventry City on Friday, though his fitness still requires work anyway after Unai Emery handed him four full weeks of rest alongside Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez.

It means there is a firm chance that Konsa, providing all formalities go to plan, could well make his Arsenal debut at Villa Park - the ground he has called home for the past seven seasons - on August 31.

Mikel Arteta has been absolutely set on signing the 28-year-old, who was his top defensive target and had a new lucrative contract on the table in the Midlands, despite interest in various other centre-backs including Jarell Quansah, Cristian Romero and free agent John Stones.

Konsa can also operate as a a right-back and is viewed as a plug-and-play signing, much like £75m arrival Bruno Guimaraes, that bolsters Arsenal's depth in the absence of William Saliba - absent with a long-term back problem.

The Gunners initially made a £30m approach for Konsa earlier this summer which was immediately dismissed before returning to the table last week and communicating their desire to reach £40m for the player.

However, Villa continued to hold firm on their £60m asking price until Konsa, who had two years left on his existing deal, made it clear he was determined to pursue the opportunity and return to London, where he previously played for Brentford and Charlton Athletic.

He is on course to become Arsenal's fifth summer acquisition after Piero Hincapie (his loan from Bayer Leverkusen became permanent), Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis and Guimaraes, which would take their spending to around £194.5m.

Konsa - set for a substantial pay-rise - will also become the latest high-profile Villa sale after Youri Tielemans ( Manchester United ), Morgan Rogers ( Chelsea ) and Lucas Digne ( PSG ) while Watkins and Martinez are also facing uncertain futures at the club.

Watkins is wanted by Al-Hilal, who have had three approaches rebuffed to date.

Another factor in Arsenal's decision to sign Konsa is that he's a homegrown player. Having eight homegrown players registered will enable them to officially name a 25-man Premier League squad. Winger Gabriel Martinelli currently classifies as homegrown but he could yet depart before the deadline.

If the Gunners were only able to list seven senior homegrown players, they would only be able to register a 24-man squad.