Arsenal ‘confident’ Sheff Utd will accept new bid for £40m-rated keeper
Premier League side Arsenal are preparing to launch a new bid for Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale, according to reports.
The Blades stopper had an excellent second half of the 2020/21 season that saw him named Player of the Year at Bramall Lane despite their relegation to the Championship.
His form also earned him a call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2020 after Dean Henderson pulled out with an injury.
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That has seen his value rocket in the last few months with Sheff Utd reportedly holding out for £40m this summer.
Arsenal have had two bids rejected previously for Ramsdale with the Gunners not wanting to pay any more than £20m up front for the 23-year-old.
Ramsdale has featured in both of Sheff Utd’s Championship fixtures so far, against Birmingham City and Swansea City respectively.
And their boss Slavisa Jokanovic has recently stated that he is keen to keep Ramsdale at Bramall Lane.
“I don’t have any intention to sell him,” the Serbian said. “He will be in my starting 11 for the next game. He is a very good keeper and I am really happy working with him. He’s a really expensive keeper too.”
The Sun journalist Alan Nixon claimed yesterday that Ramsdale is ‘very keen to get this Arsenal move on’ and is ‘pushing hard to get away’.
He predicted that the situation would ‘escalate’ and now James Shield in the Sheffield Star writes that Arsenal ‘are preparing to submit what they believe will be the decisive bid’ for Ramsdale.
The Gunners ‘are confident the offer, which is likely to be in the region of £28m, will be accepted by their counterparts at Bramall Lane’.
The report adds: ‘Despite falling well short of United’s £40m valuation – a figure they had insisted was non-negotiable – agents acting on Mikel Arteta’s behalf suspect a number of factors, including Ramsdale’s apparent desire to complete the switch, means United could be forced to relent.’
Both Ramsdale and Sander Berge have been the subject of interest from sides higher up the divisions and it remains to be seen if the Blades can hang onto their prized assets.
