ARSENAL have reached an agreement with Brentford over the transfer of Spanish goalkeeper David Raya, according to reports.
The 27-year-old will undergo a medical at the club’s London Colney training centre this week ahead of completing a move to the Emirates.
Arsenal agreed personal terms with Raya last week but have since been locked in negotiations with Brentford over a fee.
But the deal now looks to be done with documents set to be exchanged to complete the signing imminently according to Fabrizio Romano.
Raya is expected to sign a five year contract which will run until the summer of 2028.
The Brentford man had just a year left to run on his current deal and had been subject to interest from both Bayern Munich and Tottenham.
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But Brentford rejected offers from both as they did not meet the £40million fee the Bees had been demanding.
Raya has had his heart set on leaving the club this summer and Brentford have already signed his replacement in the form of Mark Flekken from Bundesliga club Freiburg.
As a result, Raya has barely featured for Thomas Frank’s men during their pre-season – managing just one 45 minute appearance against Fulham as part of the Premier League’s Summer Series in America.
With Brentford’s season opener just five days away it seems as though the Bees were keen to sort a deal quickly rather than face the prospect of having Raya warm the bench for a season before losing him on a free next summer.
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That’s allowed Arsenal to swoop in and sign the keeper for £30m according to reports rather than the original £40m fee being demanded.
Raya will provide competition for Arsenal no.1 Aaron Ramsdale who enjoyed a fine campaign last season.
Ramsdale produced a match-winning performance in Arsenal’s recent Community Shield triumph over Manchester City that saw him make several impressive saves from close-range.
But he will now have to deal with a more than capable goalkeeper breathing down his neck and looking for a starting berth in Mikel Arteta’s side.
Both Ramsdale and Raya have ambitions of starting for their respective countries at the European Championships next summer so competition will be fierce.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
