Arsenal have reached an agreement on personal terms with Brentford goalkeeper David Raya and talks are now expected to accelerate, according to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Who will Arsenal sign?
Despite spending north of £200 million already this summer, there have been reports of Mikel Arteta's side potentially making even more moves before deadline day.
Arsenal weren't expected to enter the goalkeeping market, but as sporting director Edu and co eye an alternative to current number one Aaron Ramsdale, they're now chasing a deal for Raya from Brentford.
Even the likes of Napoli winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who starred for the Serie A champions last season, are now being linked with a move to north London as we enter the final stretch of the transfer window.
This comes after Arsenal sealed a trio of marquee moves over what was, perhaps, the most ambitious showing from them in recent campaigns.
Midfield general Declan Rice cost a club-record £105 million from West Ham, while Germany international winger Kai Havertz and versatile defender Jurrien Timber also put pen to paper on moves to Arsenal.
Following a summer of lavish spending thus far, Arsenal may need to balance the books quickly and consider selling players, as only Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari have officially departed thus far.
Folarin Balogun is one player who could bring in an influx of cash after his stellar season on loan at Reims, with Arsenal thought to be demanding around £50 million for his signature.
Despite the lack of player sales, Brentford shot-stopper Raya is a player of serious interest, and Arteta's men are moving pretty quickly for him.
According to renowned transfer reporter Romano, sharing an exciting update on Twitter, it is now believed that the Spaniard has reached an agreement on personal terms to join Arsenal.
As a result, club-to-club talks with Brentford are set to accelerate, with Raya and his entourage informing the Bees of his desire to make a move across London.
"Understand David Raya has reached an agreement in principle with Arsenal on personal terms," wrote Romano.
"Brentford have been informed by player side that he wants to join Arsenal — and talks between clubs over formula/price are now expected to accelerate."
How good is David Raya?
The 27-year-old, as per WhoScored, was a mainstay and undroppable member of Thomas Frank's starting eleven – having been selected over more league minutes than any Brentford player.
This is for good reason, with Raya standing out as one of their best-performing players by average match rating in the top flight (WhoScored).
The Spain international is a top-performer for Brentford, and those displays earned Raya his first-ever call up to his country's senior squad last year.
Frank, commenting on his deserved nod for Spain, revered the shot-stopper for his "very aggressive" style of goalkeeping.
"You can't have a strong mentality if you don't have any setbacks," said Frank.
"I know setbacks are different to a lot of people, but his clear and obvious abilities in terms of playing with his feet, high position, very aggressive in terms of his positioning and going for crosses, he definitely deserves this."