Aston Villa are reportedly eager to secure an agreement over a new contract for Ezri Konsa.
Back in 2019, Villa won a hotly-contested race to sign the centre-back from Brentford, helped by Dean Smith having previously worked with him at the Bees.
The West Midlands outfit paid a fee in the region of £12m for a player who had no Premier League experience, yet the deal has proven to be value for money.
Konsa has gone on to make a total of 140 starts and five substitute outings in all competitions, cementing himself as first choice under Unai Emery.
When Pau Torres was acquired from Villarreal during the summer transfer window, the 25-year-old may have felt that his place was under threat, a consequence of Tyrone Mings's leadership status.
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However, Konsa got the nod alongside Mings on the opening weekend of the season, only to then see Mings suffer what is likely to be a season-ending knee injury.
Nevertheless Konsa was already in a position to retain his spot in Emery's starting lineup, and he has since featured in all seven of Villa's fixtures in 2023-24.
According to the Daily Mail, Villa want to ensure that Konsa spends the peak of his career in the middle of their backline.
Although he still has just under three years remaining on his contract, club officials are keen to extend those terms beyond that date, as well as handing him a significant pay-rise.
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When he signed his current deal, Villa had spent the previous season in the Championship and were not offering the same level of wages that they do when looking to make additions in the present market.
The report hints that Villa are now prepared to push Konsa towards the top earners at the club, even though he still remains without a senior cap with England.
While there is no indication that Konsa has admirers elsewhere, he would inevitably attract interest if his contract was allowed to enter the final two years.
Emery is expected to start Konsa when Villa commence their Europa Conference League group-stage campaign against Legia Warsaw on Thursday evening.
Darren Plant
