Arsenal are "well-placed to seal a deal" for Brentford goalkeeper David Raya who is also a target for Bayern Munich, according to reports.
Who will Arsenal sign?
Mikel Arteta will be absolutely thrilled by the summer his side have had, with the Gunners sealing a trio of marquee deals in winger Kai Havertz, defender Jurrien Timber and club-record signing Declan Rice.
Havertz put pen to paper on a £65 million switch from Chelsea and Timber's move is rumoured to have cost around £38 million, while Rice's £105m signing from West Ham makes him the most expensive Englishman in history.
It's been an historic transfer window for Arsenal and a real statement of intent, coming after they fell just short of a first league title in nearly 20 years to eventual treble-winners Man City.
Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…
However, despite having sold just Pablo Mari and Granit Xhaka so far, it is believed that sporting director Edu could add further quality to Arsenal's ranks before deadline day.
The north Londoners are in the market for a new goalkeeper to content with Aaron Ramsdale for the number one spot, with Brentford's Raya being the number one target.
Reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano have already confirmed that the 27-year-old has reached an agreement on personal terms with Arsenal, and the club are expected accelerate talks.
A report by Football Insider and journalist Pete O'Rourke now have a promising update on the matter, claiming Arteta's side are "well-placed to seal a deal" for Raya this month.
They say Arsenal have emerged as a possible destination for the Bees keeper "in recent days" and he is actively looking for a new challenge.
This is despite the presence of German heavyweights and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, who have Raya on their goalkeeping shortlist with Manuel Neuer out injured.
Both sides are, for now, unwilling to pay Brentford's £40 million valuation for Raya, which could be holding up the move.
Presumably, and this is just speculation, Thomas Frank's side may have to lower their asking price, especially with the keeper's deal expiring just next year and time running out to secure a decent fee for his services.
How good is David Raya?
Raya was an untouchable member of the Brentford starting eleven over 2022/2023, playing more league minutes than any other Bees player (WhoScored).
The Spaniard ranked among their top five best-performing players per 90, according to WhoScored, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp also holding Raya in very high esteem.
The Reds head coach, speaking after his side took on Brentford in late 2021, heaped praise on the former Blackburn keeper for his distribution.
“The goalkeeper could have the shirt with No 10,” Klopp said.
“He played a few incredible balls but it was the right thing to do against us today.”
Meanwhile, Bees head coach Frank has lauded the "exceptional" keeper's "very aggressive" brand of goalkeeping.
"In terms of playing with his feet, high position, very aggressive in terms of his positioning and going for crosses, he definitely deserves this," said Frank after Raya was called up to the Spain national team.
"He's been on the radar from the Federation of Spain, I'm pleased to see him there. I think it shows definitely a lot of credit to him because there's a lot of good goalkeepers for Spain."