Revealed: Raya wanted to join Man Utd before Arsenal interest
Cameron Smith
- 31 Jul 2023 14:50 BST
- 3 min read
Brentford and Spain goalkeeper David Raya was happy to join Manchester United earlier this summer before being approached by Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Raya, 27, has been heavily linked with an exit this summer and attracted interest from both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur before they decided to look elsewhere.
Bayern Munich soon emerged as a likely destination before Arsenal began exploring a deal to sign the former Blackburn shot-stopper.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein has reported that signing Raya is an option that is being explored by Arsenal currently, with the Spaniard set to provide competition for Aaron Ramsdale.
Ramsdale, an England international, has been Arsenal’s first-choice ‘keeper since he arrived in 2021, with Arteta immediately replacing Bernd Leno with the 26-year-old when he joined from Sheffield United.
Furthermore, 90min have reported that Raya is happy to compete with Ramsdale for the number one jersey at the Emirates Stadium, which is a message he also told Man Utd before they signed Andre Onana, according to the report.
Raya reportedly admitted to Man Utd that he would be happy to arrive as competition for David de Gea and wouldn’t expect to immediately be handed the number one spot. However, the Red Devils decided against pursuing Raya, with his €47m (£40m) price tag one of the reasons, and instead signed Andre Onana from Inter Milan.
Furthermore, De Gea left Old Trafford upon the expiration of his contract at the start of July; he remains a free agent.
Raya to Arsenal?
Arsenal are reportedly working on a deal to bring Raya to north London, with Brentford open to selling him due to the fact he has just one year left on his contract and the fact they signed Mark Flekken from Freiburg earlier this window.
Raya played 45 minutes against Fulham in the Premier League Summer Series, but was not included in Brentford’s matchday squad against Brighton & Hove Albion or Aston Villa.
