Brentford goalkeeper David Raya appears to be a wanted man this summer as the Spaniard has been linked with quite a few clubs over the last couple of months. It would appear that he is open to departing his current club in preference for a switch to a team more associated with winning major trophies. Recently, a possible Arsenal transfer has gathered momentum.
Raya, who will turn 28 in September, made the move to The Bees in 2019 from Blackburn Rovers, and season-by-season his reputation in the game has only continued to grow. So much so, he has been touted with a move to the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich as well. We will aim to get you up to speed with the latest developments.
The Barcelona-born goalie revealed earlier this year to The Athletic that he has rejected the offer of a new contract from Brentford on two occasions, the most recent being in January. He is now entering the final year of his deal, and Brentford will probably look to cash in on him now, as opposed to letting him leave for nothing next summer.
Brentford have seemingly already planned for life without Raya as they have already added the talented Mark Flekken from Freiburg for £11million. Raya did travel with the rest of his Brentford teammates to USA on their pre-season Premier League Summer Series tournament, but only played 45 minutes across the three games; that coming in the 3-2 defeat to London rivals Fulham.
At one point, it looked as though Tottenham would be his most likely destination. In June, journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed that personal terms had already been agreed. However, it would appear the two clubs were well apart on Raya's valuation, and that looks to have been the stumbling block in that particular deal.
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg offered an update on Bayern's interest in Raya, which was legitimate. Whilst that was genuine, it looks like Thomas Tuchel will now shift his attentions elsewhere in relation to signing a new goalkeeper. Bayern are another side that is unwilling to pay the price set by Premier League Brentford. Bayern may even look to free agent David de Gea to bolster their goalkeeping options.
David Raya to Arsenal: Will it happen?
So that now brings us to Arsenal, who are the most recent team to make their move for Raya. It has been reported by talkSPORT that Mikel Arteta is keen on bringing the Spanish international to the Emirates Stadium, but they too have highlighted that Arsenal aren't keen on the £40million price placed on Raya by Brentford. Arsenal boss Arteta wants to provide further competition for Aaron Ramsdale between the sticks.
Journalist David Ornstein initially broke the story of Arsenal looking into the idea of adding Raya to their roster, but that no official offer had been submitted. It is understood that Raya would be more than open to the prospect of moving across to North London and link up with Arsenal. One key factor is that Raya's former Brentford goalkeeper coach, Iñaki Caña, is now at Arsenal.
As for where we are at this very moment in this deal, the ball is now back in Arsenal's court in terms of whether they actually make an official move for Raya, or look elsewhere for alternative options. With The Athletic also reporting that Matt Turner is wanted by Nottingham Forest, it means The Gunners would need a new goalkeeper this season.
Should Raya indeed join Arsenal, it would possibly place some doubt in the mind of current first-choice goalkeeper Ramsdale. The England international has been the undisrupted number one since joining from Sheffield United in 2021. The England international would face some serious competition from Raya, who surely wouldn't make the move only to serve as back-up.
Nevertheless, it certainly promises to be an interesting summer for everyone involved in this deal. Brentford ultimately want to receive what they feel Raya is worth. Arsenal are clearly in the market for a new goalkeeper. Are Tottenham completely ruled out of the equation?
