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The Gunners have been linked with a surprise swoop to bring in the Spanish goalkeeper, with manager Mikel Arteta keen to secure high-quality cover and competition for Aaron Ramsdale.
Raya – who only has one year left on his contract – has been approached by a host of clubs already this summer, with the likes of Tottenham and Bayern Munich both making enquiries.
But Brentford, who have already signed a replacement in Mark Flekken, are adamant Raya will only leave if their £40m price tag is met, a stance which prompted Spurs to sign Guglielmo Vicario for less than half that price instead.
Still, Arsenal are continuing to push ahead with their pursuit of the Spain international and, according to Fabrizio Romano, have already held talks with his camp.
The Gunners want to get personal terms and a salary agreement in place before ramping up talks with Brentford and they do not anticipate any issues from Raya’s side.
He is keen to move to the Emirates despite the presence of well-established number one Ramsdale, while he would rather stay in London than move to Bayern – who remain interested despite a breakdown in talks with Brentford.
The Bavarians, who are trying to put together a club-record deal to sign Harry Kane, are only prepared to offer a loan deal for the 27-year-old with no mandatory buy clause.
That is not currently something Brentford are prepared to consider, though their stance could change later in the window if Raya is prepared to sign an extension before going out on loan.
Right now, Arsenal appear to be in pole position to land the shot-stopper though it will take an offer in the region of £40m to convince Brentford to sell, with manager Thomas Frank reiterating that position on Sunday.
‘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,’ said the Brentford boss.
‘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.’
Arsenal actually tried to sign Raya several years ago before turning to Ramsdale instead, with the club’s goalkeeper coach, Inaki Cana, having worked with the Spaniard at Brentford.
MORE : Why Arsenal pulled out of race for Chelsea-bound Axel Disasi
MORE : Brentford boss Thomas Frank sends message to Arsenal over ‘simple’ David Raya transfer
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