PSG and Aston Villa announce starting line-ups for UEFA Super Cup final

Arsenal have shown renewed interest in Aston Villa's central defender Ezri Konsa. The 28-year-old is currently on holiday post-World Cup and absent from Aston Villa's team for their upcoming Super Cup fixture against Paris St-Germain. Arsenal's previous attempt to sign Konsa in the summer fell through, as they were only prepared to offer around £30m for the England international, who is worth £60m to Aston Villa.

Last season, Konsa appeared in 48 matches across all competitions and helped Aston Villa secure the Europa League title. Following the successful signing of Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, Arsenal's focus has shifted towards strengthening their defense, with the club accelerating its pursuit of Konsa. The Swiss defender's adaptability is highly regarded at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal acknowledges they will need to significantly increase their initial bid if they wish to secure the defender's signature, but the question remains whether Aston Villa would be willing to part with the player for a fee below their valuation. Reports from multiple sources indicate that Arsenal has also initiated discussions with Tottenham regarding the potential acquisition of their captain, Cristian Romero.

However, Tottenham is reportedly not interested in selling the 28-year-old due to the strong rivalry between the two London-based clubs. Despite this, Arsenal has not abandoned all attempts to sign Romero, even though he missed the rest of the Premier League campaign due to a knee injury sustained against Sunderland in April. Romero made a return to action for Argentina at the World Cup, participating in the final match against Spain.