Aaron Ramsdale joined Arsenal from Sheffield United two years ago (Picture: Getty)
Aaron Ramsdale is set to remain as Arsenal’s No.1 goalkeeper even if the Gunners sign Brentford star David Raya this summer, according to reports.
Arsenal are looking to secure a shock deal to bring in goalkeeper Raya with Mikel Arteta a long-time admirer of his Spanish compatriot.
The Gunners currently have Ramsdale as their first choice goalkeeper – with American Matt Turner acting as an understudy – but Arteta wants to bring in higher quality cover and competition for the the England international.
There have been suggestions that Raya would replace Ramsdale as the No.1 ‘keeper at the Emirates should he move to north London but according to the Daily Mail, that is not the case, and Arteta will continue with the Englishman.
Arsenal have opened talks with Raya’s representatives over personal terms but Brentford are adamant they will not budge from their £40m valuation.
Raya – who only has one year left on his contract – has been approached by a host of clubs already this summer, with the likes of Tottenham and Bayern Munich both making enquiries.
But Brentford, who have already signed a replacement in Mark Flekken, are adamant Raya will only leave if their £40m price tag is met, a stance which prompted Spurs to sign Guglielmo Vicario instead.
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Brentford boss Thomas Frank, speaking this week, said: ‘I hope [we get an offer], we are waiting to sell. David would like to go. That’s fine for us. If a club want to buy [him] they just need to find out the price. So I guess it should be simple, but apparently it’s very difficult!
‘He’s worth £40m – I’d love to get that for him. He was one of the four best keepers in the Premier League last season. What is the price for a player with one year left? Declan Rice went to Arsenal for £105m – is that a fair price? And Harry Kane, one year left, and they’re talking about £150m?
‘Anyway, it’s not up to me. It’s always complicated. Two sides of the coin when it comes to negotiations and we meet somewhere in the middle.’
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Arsenal have opened talks with Raya’s representatives…
