Fabrizio Romano confirms Arsenal’s first signing of the summer

Carlo Garganese

• 12 Jun 2024 15:30 BST
• 3 min read

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed Arsenal’s first signing of the summer transfer window.

Romano reports that the Gunners are “completing formal documents for David Raya’s permanent move from Brentford.”

Arsenal have decided to activate the £27 million buy option clause that was set when they signed Raya on loan last summer from Brentford.

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024: All the Done Deals

The transfer will be made official imminently.

Raya at Arsenal

Raya joined Arsenal from Brentford on loan in the summer of 2023 in a controversial deal.

There was an option in the loan to make the deal permanent for £27m (€32m).

Raya displaced Aaron Ramsdale as Arsenal’s number one this past season in goal.

READ MORE: Premier League top scorers 2023/24

Ramsdale had performed admirably as they went close to winning the Premier League in the 2022-23 season.

But manager Mikel Arteta believed that Raya would be an improvement on Ramsdale, especially in his distribution and construction from the back.

Raya was a big disappointment in the first half of the season, making a string of errors and largely looking nervy after displacing Ramsdale as first choice.

He improved in the second half of the season, and is now set to sign permanently with the Gunners.

Arsenal finished second in the Premier League title race for a second year in a row.

Ramsdale is expected to be sold this summer, with a number of Premier League clubs linked.