Arsenal formalise 2nd summer signing with announcement to follow

Arsenal are set to complete their second signing of the summer, having formally activated David Raya’s purchase option, according to a report.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Arsenal have formally activated their option to buy in David Raya’s loan deal from Brentford. The goalkeeper will join for £27m, with a formal announcement to follow.

Romano claims this was always the plan, and it was decided a long time ago, but it’s now “all done” for the goalkeeper to make his permanent transfer official.

The signing will be Arsenal’s second of the summer, having also brought in 18-year-old goalkeeper Lucas Nygaard last week.

The timing is notable, with Brentford’s financial year ending on Sunday, June 30th.

It seems likely the two clubs agreed to do the deal after the turn of the year so they could both include it in their new accounts rather than the old ones.

Arsenal were close to the line in terms of the Profit and Sustainability Rules in 2023/24, so they would have preferred to put off the purchase.

By contrast, Brentford didn’t need the sale last year, so it was better for them to save it for this summer.

The specifics of Raya’s move has always appeared to be more about financial manoeuvring than any genuine uncertainty about whether the goalkeeper would eventually become a permanent Arsenal player.

If it genuinely was ever in doubt, Raya’s 20 clean sheets and Premier League Golden Glove in Arsenal’s title challenge will have assuaged those concerns.

Raya is set to continue as Mikel Arteta’s first-choice goalkeeper in the new season, though he’s currently away with Spain at Euro 2024.

The goalkeeper has made one appearance in Spain’s first four games, keeping a clean sheet. They’re set to play a quarter-final against Germany on Friday, July 5th at 17:00 BST.