Arsenal 'reach £30m agreement with Brentford for David Raya'
Arsenal reach £30m agreement with Brentford for David Raya with the Spanish goalkeeper set to have a medical this week as he prepares to become Mikel Arteta’s newest signing
- Arsenal have reached an agreement with Brentford for goalkeeper David Raya
- The Spaniard has been actively pursued by the Gunners over the summer
- Raya will undergo a medical in London before joining Mikel Arteta’s side
Arsenal have reached a £30million agreement with Brentford for goalkeeper David Raya as the player prepares to become Mikel Arteta’s next star signing.
The Spaniard has already agreed personal terms with Arsenal and is set to undergo his medical with the club this week ahead of being unveiled as a new player.
A deal is expected to be confirmed between the two clubs in the remaining hours of Tuesday evening, with Raya set to sign a five-year contract until 2028.
Raya will rival England shot-stopper Aaron Ramsdale for the number one spot at Arsenal as the new Premier League season prepares to get underway.
Ramsdale produced a match-winning performance in Arsenal’s recent Community Shield triumph over Manchester City that saw him make several impressive stops from close-range.
Arsenal have reached an agreement with Brentford to sign goalkeeper David Raya
Mikel Arteta (pictured) had been keen to get a deal completed for Raya before the start of the new season
But Raya will provide starting competition as Arteta seeks to find a new spine in his team capable of maintaining a Premier League title challenge with Man City.
Arteta is keen to provide more in-house competition for places and Raya would add undoubted quality to the goalkeeping department after a standout season at Brentford.
The 27-year-old’s £30m price tag ensures Brentford make a huge profit on the initial £2.7m they paid Blackburn for the goalkeeper in 2019 as the Bees’ moneyball approach to investing early in talent and selling on for an increased figure pays off again.
Brentford were initially holding out for £40m, rejecting Arsenal’s opening offer for their shot-stopper before conceding that they would agree to sell for less.
Raya is expected to provide competition for Arsenal number one Aaron Ramsdale (pictured)
Raya (left) is well-liked by Arteta for his ball-playing style that suits Arsenal’s system
His arrival comes after Arteta is believed to hold doubts over his No 2 goalkeeper Matt Turner, who has been linked with a move to Nottingham Forest.
Barcelona-born Raya is in his prime goalkeeper years and possesses a ball-playing style that is well suited to Arteta’s game-plan at Arsenal.
He played the entirety in every one of Brentford’s Premier League fixtures last season as the Bees finished ninth in the top-flight standings, just one point behind Tottenham.
Raya kept 12 Premier League clean-sheets last season, two less than Ramsdale, and was also courted by Manchester United before they recruited Andre Onana.
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