Arsenal could pursue Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez if they choose to turn their back on a deal for Brentford stopper David Raya, according to reports.
The Gunners are looking for a new goalkeeper to provide competition for Aaron Ramsdale with Brentford’s Raya currently at the top of their shopping list.
Brentford boss Thomas Frank made it clear yesterday that the Bees are aiming to get £40m for the Spaniard and compared it to other Premier League deals where the player is in the final year of his contract.
Frank told reporters: “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.
“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?”
But that price tag is reportedly putting clubs off with 90min insisting that Arsenal could turn to Brighton goalkeeper Sanchez if Brentford don’t drop their demands.
READ MORE: Ramsdale’s three Arsenal seasons are almost up but Arteta’s Raya plan still comes as a shock
90min claim:
‘Brentford have publicly valued Raya at £40m and continue to stand firm on that price tag, which already derailed talks with Tottenham and has scared off numerous other suitors.
‘Arsenal are also reluctant to pay such a high fee for a player entering the final year of a contract and, as such, have also enquired about Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez as a possible alternative. Chelsea are also interested in Sanchez, another Spain international.’
Chelsea have made an ‘official bid’ for Sanchez and are ‘confident’ that they will get a deal for the former Blackburn Rovers stopper over the line.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Arsenal have held ‘positive conversations’ over a deal for Raya, while the Italian journalist says “let’s see” on Bayern Munich’s interest in the Brentford star.
Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “On Sunday there was a meeting between the agents of David Raya and Bayern Munich, and the bid from Bayern was for a loan with a buy clause – this is something the player doesn’t want. Raya is only interested in a permanent transfer and some guarantee to become an important player, and Bayern were not able to offer that guarantee.
“And also to do a loan deal with Bayern he would have to extend his contract with Brentford and that’s not something he wanted to do. The deal with Bayern now looks complicated and almost collapsed, but let’s see.
“For Arsenal, they had positive conversations on the player side – Raya wants the move and prefers Arsenal over Bayern, so now it’s important to understand how much Arsenal want to invest in a new goalkeeper, and how much they get from Matt Turner possibly going to Nottingham Forest – the domino is starting and I think this week will be crucial to understand how it could be completed.
“Finally on Arsenal, some fans have asked me about reports in Italy on Djibril Sow, but my understanding is that no decision has been made by Sow yet. Lazio and Sevilla are insisting for him, let’s see if Arsenal decide to enter the race, but at the moment they’re happy with Thomas Partey staying.”
READ MORE: Raya and Ramsdale next? Five keeper rotations for Arsenal to learn from, including an Invincible