Arsenal interested in Stones, Konsa after Saliba injury blow

Arsenal hope to recruit a centre-back this summer; William Saliba is facing an extended spell out due to a back injury; Gunners are interested in John Stones and Ezri Konsa but there is a significant gap in valuation with Aston Villa on Konsa

>Arsenal hold an interest in John Stones and Ezri Konsa as they look to sign a centre-back this summer following news of an extended period on the sidelines for William Saliba.

>Saliba has avoided the need for surgery after injuring his back during France's World Cup semi-final defeat to Spain but the 25-year-old faces a lengthy period of rehabilitation.

>Stones is available as a free agent having reached the end of his contract at Manchester City last month. Sky Sports News has reported the England defender is also a target for Chelsea.

>The 32-year-old worked with Mikel Arteta during the Arsenal manager's time as assistant to Pep Guardiola at City.

>Konsa, who represented England alongside Stones at the World Cup, is four years younger than Stones at 28 and has two years remaining on his contract at Aston Villa.

>Sky Sports News understands Arsenal have been exploring the cost of a potential deal for Konsa but there is a significant gap in valuation with Villa.

>Both Konsa and Stones can also operate at right-back.

>Arsenal have consolidated their defensive options by completing the permanent signing of Piero Hincapie following his loan spell from Bayer Leverkusen last season.

>They also have Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori, Cristhian Mosquera, Jurrien Timber and Ben White as centre-back options.

>White has returned to training following the knee injury he suffered in May, while Timber said this week he is "hopefully back soon" as he continues his rehabilitation from a groin problem.

>It's easy to see the logic behind Arsenal's interest in Stones. He is available on a free transfer and brings a wealth of experience following a glittering 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium during which he won 17 trophies including six Premier League titles.

>Arteta knows his game intimately having worked with him for three years under Guardiola and confirmed his admiration when Arsenal were rumoured to be interested in signing him in 2020.

>"John is a player I really like," he said. "We followed him before we signed him when I was at City. I worked with him for many years. I know him well and when I look at centre-backs, he has many attributes that I like."

>Stones' availability on a free adds to his appeal as someone who could provide short-term cover for Saliba having proved his fitness at the World Cup, where he made five appearances for England over the course of the tournament.

>Stones was limited to only 439 Premier League minutes last season due to thigh, calf and muscular injuries, and only played 547 minutes in another disrupted campaign before that.

>The former Everton defender did not play more than 59 per cent of Premier League minutes in any of his 10 seasons at Manchester City.

>Konsa offers far more robustness than Stones. He has made a minimum of 33 Premier League starts in five consecutive seasons for Aston Villa and has no history of significant injury.

>Like Stones, he is comfortable in possession and able to withstand opposition pressure on the ball. He primarily plays as a right-sided centre-back, in the same position as Saliba, but showed his capacity to play at right-back during the World Cup.

>Konsa also boasts outstanding physical qualities and ranks as one of the Premier League's best one-on-one defenders. In fact, according to Opta, he had the highest ground-duel success rate of any outfield player in the Premier League last term, at 73 per cent.

>That combativeness is sure to appeal to Arteta but signing him over Stones would require a far greater financial outlay on a player who turns 29 in October, with Aston Villa said to value him at £60m.

>Play Super 6 for a chance to win £250k! Enter for free.