Loan to Arsenal of David Raya

Arsenal have signed an initial £3m loan deal with Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, offering a £27m purchase option for next summer.

The £27m option could become a necessity subject to meeting certain conditions, including a certain number of matches. The Spanish goalkeeper, who signed for Blackburn for £3m in the summer of 2019, has also extended his contract with Brentford by two years and the club’s option will run for a further 12 months.

Raya has joined the ‘Gunners’ goalkeepers to challenge current number 1 Aaron Ramsdale after Matt Turner completed his £10m transfer to Nottingham Forest last week.

line arrives pic.twitter.com/2UaPiDDp33

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 15, 2023

Arsenal sporting director Edu said:

“We welcome David, whom we have signed for a season from Brentford. David is a quality goalkeeper who has always performed at the highest level for Brentford in the Premier League. With David joining us, we add quality and depth to our team so that we can perform at the highest level possible in all competitions.”

Raya has been an integral part of the Brentford squad in recent seasons and played in all 38 Premier League games last season. The 27-year-old, who closed his net 20 times in 62 games in the Premier League, played 161 games in all lanes with the ‘Bees’ shirt and became a two-time Spanish national.