Brentford have rejected multiple bids of around £10m from Arsenal for their goalkeeper, David Raya, and are adamant that the 25-year-old will not be sold in this transfer window.
The Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, is keen to sign Raya as he continues to overhaul the goalkeeping options, with Emiliano Martínez’s £20m transfer to Aston Villa meaning they require competition for Bernd Leno. The Iceland international Runar Alex Runarsson is close to a move from Dijon but Arsenal are seriously exploring the possibility of adding both players, a move that would also allow the current third-choice, Matt Macey, to move on.
Raya is expected to return to Brentford’s matchday squad to face Huddersfield on Saturday after missing the start of the season with a knee injury. The Spaniard is thought to be open to joining Arsenal, whose goalkeeping coach, Inaki Cana, joined from Brentford in December. Cana also previously worked with Runarsson at FC Nordsjaelland in Denmark.
Brentford recently sanctioned the sale of Ollie Watkins to Villa for a club record £28m, plus add-ons, and would demand a similar fee for Saïd Benrahma, who is believed to be of interest to Crystal Palace. They are, however, loth to lose any more players from the team that reached the Championship play-off final last season.
Arteta has made his move for Raya as Arsenal prepare for a busy end to the window. Atlético Madrid’s Thomas Partey and the Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar are their long-standing top outfield targets but would cost up to £130m in combined transfer fees and wages.
The Guardian understands Arteta would prioritise a move for Aouar if given a straight choice between the two but players must first join Martínez in departing. Lucas Torreira is available for £18m but could be allowed to join Torino or Fiorentina on loan, while finding takers for any of Matteo Guendouzi, Sead Kolasinac and Sokratis Papastathopoulos would significantly strengthen Arteta’s hand.
