Football
Just in: Arsenal signs new goalkeeper
Arsenal have completed the signing of Brentford goalkeeper David Raya on an initial £3m loan deal with a £27m option to buy next summer.
The £27m option could become an obligation depending if certain conditions are met, primarily appearances.
The Spanish goalkeeper, who signed for £3m from Blackburn in the summer of 2019, has also extended his contract with Brentford by two years, with a club option for an additional 12 months.
Raya now joins the Gunners goalkeeper department to compete with current No 1 Aaron Ramsdale after Matt Turner completed a £10m move to Nottingham Forest last week.
Gunners sporting director Edu said: “We welcome David to us on a season-long loan from Brentford. David is a top-quality goalkeeper, who has consistently performed to a high level with Brentford in the Premier League.
“With David joining us we are adding quality and depth to our squad so we can perform at the highest possible level in all competitions.”
On the structure of the deal, Brentford director of football Phil Giles said: “I’m sure the first question that all Brentford fans will ask is why this transfer has been structured as an initial loan with Arsenal having the option to make it permanent in the future.
The answer to that is simply that it enables this deal to be done more rapidly between both clubs, with all parties wanting to make this a permanent transfer as soon as practically possible, whenever that might be.
