Brentford goalkeeper David Raya has one-year remaining on his contract with the Premier League club, and a host of teams have been linked with signing him this summer. His current club has placed a fee on his head for others to reach before they are prepared to let the Spaniard move on.
Raya has seen his reputation in the game improve season-on-season during his time with the Bees. So much so, clubs such as Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur are vying it out for his signature. It would appear that Arsenal front that queue at this moment in time. Clicking here will give you the very latest on this transfer saga.
Many months ago, Brentford manager Thomas Frank revealed how much he believes the 27-year-old is worth, and even now he is sticking to that. It would appear that the club are certainly more open to allowing him to exit, especially after signing Freiburg's Mark Flekken to effectively replace the former Blackburn Rovers man.
Raya has already turned down the offer of a new deal on two occasions, when speaking to The Athletic many months ago. Things are unlikely to have changed since then, and the fact he only appeared in 45 minutes after three games at the pre-season Premier League Summer Series indicates Brentford are planning for life without the talented keeper.
A few days' ago, Frank spoke about Raya's situation, indicating what exactly needs to be done to allow him to leave, when speaking to the media (Daily Mail source),
“Like everything it's a negotiation. I would love to get £40million. That's what he's worth. I think he's one of the best keepers, he was one of the four best keepers in the Premier League last season, so what is the price?”
Frank went on to highlight other transfers which either have or may happen, allowing to provide a comparison to the situation involving Raya,
“And (Harry Kane) you're talking one year left and £150million. The keeper is at his best age I think. But anyway a good thing I am not negotiating. That is for Phil (Giles, Director of Football) and Matthew (Benham, Owner) and Arsenal. I just take care of the coaching.”
Therefore, although Frank has stated £40million is the price that he wants, he obviously isn't the man in the room negotiating this deal. It could be that Arsenal end up paying less than this, especially with only one year left on his contract.
Bayern Munich have seen a loan offer turned down for the player, as per Florian Plettenberg, suggesting that they aren't in the best place to offer the sort of money Brentford would like. Nevertheless, it would appear that Raya favours a switch to North London, with Arsenal, even though personal terms were agreed with Tottenham prior to Arsenal's interest, as revealed by Fabrizio Romano.
It promises to be an interesting development to see exactly where Raya ends up. With him not signing a new deal and Flekken has replaced him at Brenford, it is in his best interests to move on.
