Brentford goalkeeper David Raya is rumored to be the latest player Mikel Arteta is looking to add to his growing squad, according to The Athletic correspondent David Ornstein, Arsenal is exploring the possibility of a deal to sign the Spanish shot-stopper.
Raya has only one year remaining on his Brentford contract and is eager to join the Gunners, despite the fact Bayern Munich is also interested in the goalkeeper and would be looking to secure a year-long loan.
He would be enthusiastic to reunite with former Brentford and current Arsenal goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana.
However, Thomas Frank and Brentford do not want to sell their no.1 and would require a fee of around £40million.
Is £40million too much for Brentford's David Raya? 💰 #AFC #Arsenal #TransferDaily pic.twitter.com/lMz6WwJuP8
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The 27-year-old joined Brentford from Blackburn in 2019 for £3million and has spent four exceptional seasons in West London, including promotion to the Premier League in 2021/22.
Raya played every minute of the Bees Premier League campaign last season, which saw them finish 9th, and he played a major part in that achievement keeping 12 clean sheets with a save percentage of 77.7%.
He also made 154 saves last season (the most of any keeper in the top flight).
The Catalan-born keeper was amongst the best in the Premier League last season and would provide much more competition than the usual ‘no.2’ to current Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Ramsdale, who himself had a strong campaign last season, would perhaps feel unjust that Arteta is looking at giving him some competition as he kept 14 clean sheets and had a save percentage of 70.6% last term.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, along with technical director Edu, has been keen to add depth to the squad this transfer window with Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber, and Declan Rice joining the club already.
The goalkeeper position appears to be no exception to Arsenal’s desire to create healthy competition and squad depth to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title and compete on the European front.
The addition of Raya would take Arsenal’s total spending this window to just shy of £250million and the club is keen to focus on outgoings, including current No.2 Matt Turner, who is a target for Nottingham Forrest.
There is no doubt that David Raya is a world-class goalkeeper who would be a serious contender for Aaron Ramsdale’s No.1 spot, be that as it may, does he justify the £40 million price tag that Brentford is searching for? And would he prove to be a worthwhile signing for the Gunners?
