Frank fires message to Arsenal over ‘simple’ £40m transfer after Arteta’s side leapfrog Bayern Munich
Brentford boss Thomas Frank has sent a message to Arsenal over their pursuit of David Raya after Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead in the race to sign the goalkeeper.
The Spain international was in outstanding form for the Bees last season as Frank’s side finished ninth in the Premier League, just two points adrift of a European place.
And now Raya’s brilliant performances have caught the eye of other clubs with Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich linked with a move.
However, Bayern’s potential deal for the former Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper has now reportedly collapsed with Arsenal now moving ahead of the German side in the battle to sign Raya.
And Brentford boss Frank has told Arsenal and other interested parties that a transfer “should be simple” with the club asking for £40m for his services.
“I hope [we get an offer], we are waiting to sell,” Frank told NBC Sports. “David would like to go. That’s fine for us. If a club want to buy [him] they just need to find out the price. So I guess it should be simple, but apparently it’s very difficult!
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“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?
“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.”
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has delivered the latest update on Arsenal interest in Raya – who has two caps for Spain – with Mikel Arteta hoping to create more competition for Aaron Ramsdale.
Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column: “Another big story from yesterday is Arsenal’s interest in Brentford goalkeeper David Raya. Bayern were keen to sign him but the deal now looks to be collapsing, with the player favouring a move to the Emirates Stadium.
“I’m told Arsenal’s interest in Raya is genuine – he’s been on their radar for years and they believe this is a big opportunity on the market. Arsenal have always appreciated him and Mikel Arteta is a big fan, but now it’ll be down to the clubs to reach an agreement.
“As for Aaron Ramsdale, my understanding is that the idea would be to create competition between Ramsdale and Raya – it’s not a case of replacing the England ‘keeper. If it goes through it promises to be an intriguing battle for the number one spot in Arteta’s side.”
