Sources: Arsenal well placed to sign David Raya for bargain fee
Arsenal are well-placed to seal a deal for Brentford goalkeeper David Raya this month, sources have told Football Insider.
The Gunners have emerged as a potential destination for the 27-year-old in recent days as he looks to leave the Bees for a new challenge.
It is believed Bayern Munich are also keen on Raya with first-choice shot-stopper Manuel Neuer still out injured.
However, both Bayern and Arsenal are unwilling to pay anything close to Brentford’s current valuation of Raya.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank has recently gone public once again to reaffirm his £40million price tag for the Spain international.
The Dane claimed he is “one of the best” goalkeepers in the Premier League.
However, Raya has less than 12 months remaining on his current contract at the Brentford Community Stadium.
As such, it is believed Arsenal feel the Bees are risking allowing the shot-stopper to leave the club for free in 2024 – possibly even agreeing a pre-contract with a foreign side in January.
Raya is unlikely to be the first-choice in west London with Brentford already moving to sign a replacement early in the summer window as Freiburg goalkeeper Mark Flekken joined the club for a reported £11million.
The Spain international made 39 appearances across all competitions in the 2022-23 campaign – conceding 47 goals and keeping 12 clean sheets.
He is likely to compete with current Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale for the first-choice berth in Mikel Arteta’s squad if a move is completed.
In other news, three British clubs enter race for Arsenal striker.