Liverpool interested in Aston Villa defender: Reports

Injury woes in defence have hurt Liverpool this season, so it is no wonder they are keeping tabs on a talented young defender.

According to The Athletic, the Reds are interested in Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, who won the Under-20 World Cup with England. The Lions are eager to extend the player’s contract to ward off Liverpool, though.

Konsa rose through the ranks at Charlton Athletic before joining Brentford in 2018. He moved to Villa in the summer of 2019, and played a pivotal role in their escape from relegation last campaign.

Ezri Konsa has been an omnipresent figure in the Aston Villa backline this season, helping his club register nine clean sheets and jump to eighth in the league table. So Liverpool, with all their luck with injuries, have set their eyes on the player.

The Reds, who are already without Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez this season, have been forced to play Fabinho and Jordan Henderson out of position.

Liverpool signed Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies last month, but continue to keep a close watch on Konsa. The Aston Villa defender is also being monitored by Tottenham Hotspur, with Jose Mourinho keen to add a defender to his squad in the summer.

Tottenham Hotspur had briefly considered Konsa in the summer of 2019. He was looked at as a potential replacement for Toby Alderweireld, whose future was in doubt due to his £25m release clause.

While the club dropped their pursuit of Konsa after the Belgian’s future was resolved, it now appears that Tottenham Hotspur could rival Liverpool for the player’s signature again this summer.

Ezri Konsa could be a valuable addition to the Liverpool squad

Liverpool have dropped down to fifth in the Premier League table, 13 points behind leaders Manchester City.

The Reds have lost their last three games in the league, conceding eight goals in the process. As such, their interest in Konsa is justified.

Aston Villa, however, are desperate to hold on to their prized asset, and remain keen to extend the player’s current contract, which expires in the summer of 2023.

Meanwhile, Konsa could earn a call to England's senior squad ahead of the next round of international games.

The Aston Villa defender is also eligible to play for Angola and DR Congo as well as Portugal.

It is clear that if Liverpool do manage to secure Azri Konsa’s signature, they will have a fabulous and very promising defender in their ranks.

About the author

Deepungsu is a veteran football journalist who has been covering daily transfer roundups and news for over seven years at Sportskeeda. He has written nearly 10000 articles for the website, and has garnered over 21 million reads.

Deepungsu holds a PG degree in Microbiology and an MBA degree in Total Quality Management. He has an extensive two-decade long writing experience, which includes a decade of sports blogging. His writing prowess has even led his work getting cited on the legendary Franz Beckenbauer's Wikipedia page.

Inspired by Diego Maradona, Deepungsu played as an attacking midfielder for his local club at subdivision level in his initial years and scored an important goal or two. However, his all-time favorite footballer is Lionel Messi, and evidently, he feels Argentina's glory in 2022 is his favorite FIFA World Cup moment for fulfilling his long-standing dream. He is also an ardent East Bengal fan.

Deepungsu has been a Manchester United supporter since the year 2000. Unsurprisingly, his favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and the Scotsman helped him get through some of the toughest days of his life. Like the fiery Scot, Deepungsu also leaves no stone unturned when it comes to accuracy in articles and only relies on credible sources.

Despite believing in Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland to create an iconic rivalry, Deepungsu reckons no one can match the longevity of Messi and Ronaldo. He spends his leisure time writing about life on his blog, reading books, and playing the guitar.

Know More

Edited by Bhargav