Arsenal have reportedly opened the bidding for David Raya at £20million, as per Fabrizio Romano, despite the fact Brentford are adamant he’s worth £40million.
Raya has been open about the fact he rejected a couple of contract offers from the Bees not long ago. Given it seems clear he’s ready to test himself at a bigger club, Brentford put him up for sale.
In May, Thomas Frank confirmed the goalkeeper was on the market and that “he costs £40million”. The club are seemingly adamant that they’re going to receive that fee or he’s not going anywhere.
Indeed, it’s been suggested they’ll run down the clock – his contract is up next summer – and let him leave for nothing then, rather than sell him for below his value this summer.
However, Arsenal have opened the bidding for Raya, and it’s quite a way below Brentford’s valuation. Indeed, transfer insider Romano reports the Gunners have submitted an opening offer of £20million plus £3million in add-ons.
He also states the goalkeeper has ‘told Brentford he wants the move’. That’s unlikely to move them, given the offer is not at the value they’d sell him for.
Personal terms are not going to be a problem. Indeed, Romano previously reported Raya has already agreed upon those terms with Arsenal, and Brentford are aware of that.
Frank seems unbothered by the fact Raya has a year left on his deal. While that would normally stoke fear of losing out on a fee, the Bees manager has cited Declan Rice’s £105million transfer despite having just a year left on his deal.
As such, it would be unlikely that he’d just roll over and accept a fee way below what he wants to get for his star. Arsenal might well be willing to up their bid if it becomes clear their opener isn’t enough, though.
Indeed, it’s been suggested Mikel Arteta was frustrated with Aaron Ramsdale as he sliced the ball out of play in pre-season. That’s seemingly one of the reasons he’s keen on bringing in a goalkeeper to contend with him.
However, whether he would pay more than what Arsenal signed Ramsdale for remains to be seen. The £30million transfer was the most the Gunners have spent on a goalkeeper.
As such, they might not want to spend more than that on a man who’s not guaranteed a starting spot yet.
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