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Arsenal 'could complete David Raya signing within 48 hours'

Arsenal 'could complete David Raya signing within 48 hours'
© Reuters
Arsenal could supposedly complete a deal for Brentford goalkeeper David Raya within 48 hours as Matt Turner closes in on a move to Nottingham Forest.

Arsenal could supposedly finalise a deal for Brentford goalkeeper David Raya within the next 24 to 48 hours.

The Gunners only tied undisputed number one Aaron Ramsdale down to a new contract earlier this year, but some of the Englishman's deputies could soon depart.

Number two Matt Turner - who failed to make a single Premier League appearance for the club in his debut season - and Alex Runarsson could both head for the exit door before the window slams shut.

In Turner's case, the American is believed to be attracting interest from Nottingham Forest, who are seemingly moving away from the idea of a permanent deal for Manchester United's Dean Henderson.

Turner will need to be offloaded before Arsenal can officially bring Raya to the Emirates, but according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the Gunners have taken a major step towards achieving their goalkeeping objective.

Matt Turner in action for Arsenal in October 2022© Reuters

Romano states that Arsenal and Forest have reached a verbal agreement for the transfer of Turner, who has also given the green light to the Tricky Trees' contract proposal.

The two clubs are currently thrashing out the finer details of the transfer, and once Turner's switch to the City Ground has gone through, Arsenal will intensify their pursuit of Raya.

The Gunners have not yet had a bid accepted by Brentford, but Romano claims that a deal could now be wrapped up in a day or two's time, as Raya is pining to play for Mikel Arteta's team.

The Spain international is due to become a free agent next summer, but Arsenal have supposedly failed with an opening offer of £23m, which would have seen Brentford receive £20m upfront with an additional £3m in add-ons.

Bees head coach Thomas Frank has insisted that Raya is worth £40m - in spite of his contract situation - but Arsenal are allegedly now hopeful of bringing him to the Emirates for closer to the £30m mark.

Brentford goalkeeper David Raya pictured on December 30, 2022© Reuters

Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich are also believed to have been keeping tabs on Raya this summer, but the 27-year-old has his heart set on a move to Arsenal.

Raya spent seven years as a Blackburn Rovers player before transferring to Brentford in 2019, and the Spaniard has 54 clean sheets to boast from 161 games for the Bees.

Raya helped Brentford reach the Championship playoff final in his debut campaign before the Bees succeeded in their promotion push the following year, and he kept 12 clean sheets in 38 Premier League affairs last season.

The former Cornella youngster made 154 saves in the English top flight last season - more than any other goalkeeper - as Frank's side finished in the top half of the table.

Arsenal have already spent over £200m on the captures of Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz this summer, and Arteta's side will have a shot at silverware when they meet Manchester City in Sunday's Community Shield clash.

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Written by
Ben Knapton

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David Raya in action for Brentford in April 2023
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TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


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