Liverpool are ready to rival the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City in the race for Ezri Konsa as Aston Villa are left to make a key decision.

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool have entered the race for defender Ezri Konsa ahead of the January window and are ready to compete with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City. Aston Villa might be left to make a key decision on the 28-year-old centre-back’s future, as financial realities could potentially force a sale.

Ezri Konsa has been a reliable presence for Aston Villa over the years and made 249 appearances for the club across all competitions. The defender has been key to their recent plans, but now, there are dangers of losing him to one of the bigger teams in the league.

Manchester City were among those watching him closely, and they are not alone in the mix. Pep Guardiola could look to add another defender in the January window to improve his defensive options. There’s a real possibility they could target a move for Konsa.

The report states Konsa is being valued at around £40-45 million in the current market, something the interested clubs could look to invest in. Chelsea and Liverpool are also in the mix, with the latter the latest to enter the race despite holding some level of interest back in the summer before deciding against pursuing the Aston Villa star.

Chelsea are keen to bolster their backline too after the injury to Levi Colwill, while the other senior defenders in the squad are not performing well. While Konsa falls slightly outside of their regular transfer policy, the club might make an exception in a bid to keep challenging for honours this season.

Liverpool could ponder a move; Aston Villa to decide

Liverpool are interested in a new defender as they are somewhat short in the area. Back in the summer, they failed with a move for Marc Guehi, with Konsa now potentially seen as an alternative. They are also interested in Joel Ordonez ahead of January, as the club are intent on bringing in a new defender, as it could also be the £40-45 million-rated Aston Villa defender.

Aston Villa are uninterested in selling Konsa from a sporting side, but they could be forced to reflect on their financial realities and make a decision. Hence, one cannot rule out the club selling one of their reliable defenders for PSR purposes, although there’s no decision made yet on such a sale.