Arsenal are reportedly in the final stages of agreeing a deal with Sheffield United for the transfer of goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to the Emirates Stadium.
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the two clubs are set to agree an initial fee of £24 million for the 23-year-old, with a further £6 million to be paid in add-ons if certain conditions are met.
Arsenal to Agree Fee With Sheffield United for Aaron Ramsdale
Deal Sets Ramsdale Up to Become First-Choice Goalkeeper
If the transfer goes through as expected, both Arsenal and Sheffield United will be satisfied with the way negotiations have progressed. The Gunners find themselves on the cusp of agreeing a fee that is substantially less than the £40 million asking price originally set by the Blades.
For their part, Sheffield United were resigned to losing Ramsdale this summer after they were relegated from the Premier League last season. The former Bournemouth shot-stopper was included in England’s 26-man squad for Euro 2020 after an injury to Manchester United‘s Dean Henderson but has not yet made his senior debut for Gareth Southgate’s national team.
In addition to the £24 million fee for Ramsdale, Arsenal will owe the Blades £6 million in achievable add-ons, which will take the overall total of the transfer to £30 million. Those add-ons are only likely to apply if Ramsdale eventually becomes the Gunners’ first-choice goalkeeper, meaning he will be expected to be Mikel Arteta’s number one either this season or in the near future.
Arsenal Supporters Upset After Watching Emiliano Martinez Progress
Despite his undoubted quality and pedigree as a Premier League goalkeeper, many Arsenal supporters see Ramsdale’s impending arrival as proof of their club’s seemingly muddled transfer strategy.
Last summer, Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was sold to Aston Villa in a £17 million deal. The 28-year-old has since impressed hugely at Villa Park and capped a fine year by winning the Copa America with his national side.
Plenty of Gunners fans argue that the initial £24 million expenditure on a new goalkeeper would not have been necessary at all this summer if Arteta had instead kept Martinez in north London and made him the first-choice shot-stopper at the club.
Nevertheless, in Ramsdale Arsenal are set to secure the services of a fine young goalkeeper who will surely be a mainstay at the club for years to come.
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