Arsenal Nears Next Signing as as Edu submits £20m bid and target tells current club to say yes
Fabrizio Romano disclosed that Arsenal has made their first official offer to Brentford for their goalkeeper David Raya.
Since the beginning of the summer, it has been common knowledge that Brentford has been soliciting proposals for Raya, whose contract has entered its final year. Recently, Arsenal positioned themselves as his most likely successors.
Currently, Aaron Ramsdale serves as their number one goalkeeper, but they risk losing Matt Turner to Nottingham Forest. Therefore, they could replace Turner with Raya, who would provide Ramsdale with stiffer competition for the starting position.
In fact, the two established Premier League goalkeepers would compete for the starting position.
Now, Arsenal has taken a significant step toward acquiring Raya by submitting an offer to Brentford. According to Romano, their proposition is initially valued at £20 million plus £3 million in add-ons.
Brentford, who have already acquired Mark Flekken to compensate for Raya’s impending departure, has not yet indicated whether they will accept or deny the offer. They just received it on Thursday evening, so they have not had much opportunity to respond as of yet.
However, the player is eager for them to enable him to leave. In fact, Romano claims he has already reached a personal agreement with Arsenal and has made it plain to Brentford that they should accept the offer.
Earlier in the summer, it was reported that Raya’s asking price at Brentford was actually closer to £40 million.
The sporting director of Arsenal, Edu, will be hopeful that he has secured a better deal in order to expand manager Mikel Arteta’s options.
Raya is prepared to contribute new depth to Arsenal
Raya has been with Brentford since 2019, participating in two seasons in the Championship and two in the Premier League.
Last year, he earned his first two appearances for the Spanish national team during a Premier League season in which he was an ever-present for Brentford.
As one of the best players in the world with the ball at his feet, he could contribute a new dimension to Arsenal’s build-up play from the very beginning.
Last season, Raya completed 896 passes in the Premier League, while Ramsdale completed 596 passes in the same number of appearances.
And at the age of 27, the former Blackburn Rovers player appears to be prepared for the next stage of his career, which could include participation in the Champions League if he can displace Ramsdale for playing time in Europe’s premier competition.
Raya was also reportedly being considered as a potential long-term replacement for Manuel Neuer by Bayern Munich.
Nonetheless, Arsenal have emerged as his top choice, and they will now eagerly anticipate Brentford’s initial response.
Arsenal Nears Next Signing as as Edu submits £20m bid and target tells current club to say yes
