Arsenal fail to heed David Raya transfer warning as opening bid 'submitted'

04 August 2023 , 00:00

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Arsenal fail to heed David Raya transfer warning as opening bid 'submitted'

Arsenal’s first bid for Brentford star David Raya looks set to end in failure after Thomas Frank’s previous warning.

The Gunners have been linked with a move for the Spanish goalkeeper this week. Brentford are thought to be open to selling Raya with just one year remaining on his contract in West London.

Amid Arsenal’s interest, it appears that they have made their first attempt to sign him with their opening bid. According to reports, their first offer is worth in the region of £23m - Brentford set to receive an initial £20m with a host of add-ons worth £23m.

Whilst the Bees are yet to respond to the offer, it looks highly unlikely that Arsenal’s offer will be enough to satisfy the club hierarchy. Thomas Frank has already confirmed what Brentford would expect to receive for him.

Speaking after the links initially surfaced, the Dane said: “He’s worth £40m – I’d love to get that for him. He was one of the four best keepers in the Premier League last season.

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“What is the price for a player with one year left? Declan Rice went to Arsenal for £105m – is that a fair price? And Harry Kane, one year left, and they’re talking about £150m?

Mikel Arteta has opened up on Aaron Ramsdale's future at Old Trafford (Getty Images)

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“Anyway, it’s not up to me. It’s always complicated. Two sides of the coin when it comes to negotiations and we meet somewhere in the middle.”

It remains to be seen whether the Gunners would be willing to up their bid for Raya. Mikel Arteta was probed about his side’s interest in the Brentford star following Wednesday evening’s draw with Monaco in the Emirates Cup in North London. He replied: "You know that I’m not going to talk about any player that is not here, I’m sorry."

Whilst he remained tight-lipped on a deal for Raya, the Arsenal boss remained full of praise for his current number one Aaron Ramsdale following the clash with Monaco. The Spaniard said: "He was really good, really composed in the game.

"He didn’t have to intervene too much, I think the two actions, one was a goal that was very close range, one is the action where they have the cutback and they hit the post, and there was not much more to do. Everything he did in ball possession was really good."

Asked if Ramsdale remained in his plans at the Emirates, Arteta replied: "Yes, it’s still the same."

Ramsdale, 25, still has three years left to run on the new contract that he only penned back in May. He has made 78 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal since arriving from Sheffield United in 2021.

Daniel Orme