Arsenal have "agreed personal terms" with Brentford's Spanish goalkeeper, David Raya, with talks between the two clubs to continue this week, per transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Is David Raya joining Arsenal?
The Gunners have been on something of a spending spree this summer, welcoming Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber, and Kai Havertz to the Emirates for a combined price of £204m – making this their most expensive window of all time.
And yet, Mikel Arteta's side are looking to keep the money flowing over the coming weeks with David Raya the next player in their sights.
The Spanish international has already been the target of Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich this summer, but according to the Evening Standard, the Bee's valuation of £40m has been too much for both teams.
Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…
It's certainly a surprising development as the North Londoners currently have Aaron Ramsdale occupying the position at the moment, and after the brilliant two years he has had for the team, it's hard to see Raya just walking in and taking the number one shirt.
That said, Arteta must've given the 27-year-old some assurances over game time as, according to transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, he has already agreed personal terms with the Premier League runners-up, and it is now down to the teams to agree a fee.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"David Raya, who said yes to Arsenal. So, already a few days ago, the preference of the player was Arsenal over Bayern for a potential move, but why? Bayern offered the long deal to Brentford, and the player wanted something different.
"So he wants Arsenal. He agreed personal terms with Arsenal. So, David Raya and Arsenal have an agreement on the contract; now [it] depends on the clubs. Let's see if Arsenal reach an agreement with Brentford for David Raya.
"So this is the crucial point now, but conversations will continue."
Is Raya better than Ramsdale?
Should this deal go through, it'll create quite a unique situation as it's rare that a top team has two goalkeepers who appear to be very similar in quality and ability, but is there one that stands out above the other?
Well, when it comes to traditional goalkeeping metrics, it's Brentford's shot-stopper that slightly edges it, maintaining a 77.7% save percentage to Ramsdale's 70.6%. He also makes more saves per 90, at 4.05 to 2.47, per FBref.
It's a little bit harder to pick a clear winner when it comes to passing, however, as while the Arsenal man completes 68.5% of his passes compared to the Spaniard's 64.3%, he also makes far fewer passes at just 29.2 per 90 compared to 43.2.
One area that the Barcelona-born star clearly beats his new potential teammate is in shot-creating actions, a stat not often associated with keepers, but according to FBref, he created 0.32 shot-creating actions per 90 thanks to his passing, 0.24 more than Ramsdale's 0.08.
It's this ability to play with the ball at his feet that led Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to say:
"Their goalie should have number 10 on his back with the balls he played."
If the two clubs can agree on a fee in the coming days, it will be fascinating to see these two brilliant keepers battle it out for the number one spot – and who Arteta eventually settles on.
