According to respected journalist David Ornstein, Arsenal are exploring a deal for Brentford goalkeeper David Raya amid the possibility of selling Matt Turner to Nottingham Forest.
The Gunners currently have Aaron Ramsdale as their first-choice goalkeeper. Turner has been his deputy since arriving from New England Revolution last summer. It is now reported by Ornstein that Turner is on the radar of Forest, who are eyeing a new number one.
As a result, Arsenal are interested in signing Raya as his replacement and Ornstein says the Gunners are ‘exploring’ the possibility of a deal. Bayern Munich are also pursuing a move for the ex-Blackburn Rovers man, but Ornstein claims that the 27-year-old is keen on joining Arsenal.
More competition
Ramsdale has been an undisputed starter for Arsenal in the Premier League since his arrival from Sheffield United in 2021. He has produced several stand-out performances, but there have been some question marks over his shot-stopping.
If Arsenal were to sign Raya from Brentford, the 25-year-old may have no room for error, considering the Spaniard is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League. He was exceptional for the Bees last season.
Last season, Raya managed a stunning 410 long balls over the entire top-flight campaign. He ranked first in this statistic. This is significantly higher than Ramsdale, who only accumulated one-third of that tally for the Gunners.
The Spaniard was also the best goalkeeper in the league when it came to ball recoveries, save success rate and saves made. Raya also excelled with his passes into the final third. He was ranked the fourth best in this aspect.
Arsenal have not made any formal bid for the highly-talented goalkeeper, but he won’t come on the cheap for them. Brentford have been clear for some time that they won’t accept bids of less than £40 million for Raya.
That would represent a huge outlay for a back-up goalkeeper, but the move makes sense if manager Mikel Arteta is open to the prospect of replacing Ramsdale, should he underperform during the new campaign.
Arsenal have already made three signings in Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice this summer.
