David Raya to ‘sign contract extension at Brentford’ before joining Arsenal on loan
Arsenal looked like they were about to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, but the deal has been changed to a loan move, with Raya expected to extend his contract with the Bees
David Raya is set to extend his contract at Brentford before joining Arsenal on loan in a bizarre, late twist to the transfer saga.
The Spanish goalkeeper looked set to join the Gunners permanently following reports of a £30million deal being struck, but according to The Athletic he’s now set to join on temporary basis instead, with Arsenal paying a £3m loan fee, with a £27m option to buy clause for next summer – which will be automatically activated after Raya plays a certain number of matches.
The change in deal structure came from Arsenal, who want to leave the cost of the transfer off their books for 12 months in order to help them abide by Financial Fair Play regulations.
Raya has bit farewell to his team-mates ahead of the switch, and even though he will now extend his contract at the Gtech Community Stadium, he’s firmly expected to be an Arsenal player by next season.
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The 27-year-old has been an ever-present in Brentford’s team since joining from Blackburn in 2019, racking up over 160 appearances for the club both in the Premier League and the Championship.
It’s understood that Arsenal’s interest in him stems from a lack of faith Mikel Arteta has in current No. 1 keeper Aaron Ramsdale following a noticeable dip in form last season, as well as a desire to have competition for a starting spot between the sticks.
The Gunners are keen to sign a keeper before the start of the new season, particularly after selling former No. 2 Matt Turner to Nottingham Forest, who face Arsenal at the Emirates on Saturday, earlier this week.
Raya had previously been linked with a move to Bayern Munich, who are looking for a replacement for Yann Sommer, who signed for Inter Milan a few days ago. Brentford meanwhile have already signed Raya’s replacement after splashing £11m on Dutch keeper Mark Flekken.