Goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson is in London undergoing his medical with Arsenal today after a £1.5m deal was agreed with Dijon for his signature, according to the Telegraph.
Mikel Arteta is on the look out for another keeper after Emiliano Martinez sealed a move to Aston Villa on Wednesday. The Argentinean played a key role in helping Arsenal win the FA Cup during the second half of last season after deputising for the injured Bernd Leno.
Martinez now wants to be a No.1 in his own right but with Leno fully fit again, Arteta was unable to offer him regular first team football so the 28-year-old stopper completed a move to Villa Park yesterday.
It leaves Arsenal looking for a new keeper and Runarsson emerged as a surprise target earlier this week when the The Telegraph reported that the Gunners were in talks with Dijon over a potential £1.5m deal.
Negotiations have moved swiftly as the newspaper is now claiming today that Runarsson is in London undergoing his medical and finalising terms after a deal was agreed between Arsenal and the Ligue 1 outfit.
The Icelandic goalkeeper is expected to sign a long-term contract and will act as back-up to Leno this season – although Arsenal are facing a race against time to get the player registered by midday on Friday to be eligible for Saturday’s clash with West Ham.
Runarsson was recommended to Arteta by goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana – who worked with him during their time together at Nordsjaelland – and Arsenal moved quickly to get a deal done.
The 25-year-old only played 11 times for Dijon last season and hasn’t represented Iceland since 2018 so he doesn’t have a lot of top level experience, which may concern some Arsenal fans. Especially if Leno gets injured again this season.
However, the Telegraph claims that Arsenal still haven’t given up hope of signing David Raya – who also worked with Inaki Cana at Brentford and impressed during their promotion push last season.
Brentford are reluctant to lose their No.1 so the report says Arsenal may be open to the idea of signing Raya this summer and letting him remain with the Bees for the rest of the campaign before linking up with his new club next summer.
Therefore, Raya could be viewed as the long-term replacement for Martinez with Runarsson seen more as a third-choice goalkeeper. Current No.3 Matt Macey is expected to leave the Emirates over the coming weeks.
