Chelsea are still being pretty regularly linked with Aaron Ramsdale, the Arsenal goalkeeper who has lost his place in the Gunners’ team to David Raya.
Journalist Charles Watts who covers Arsenal for the Athletic had some interesting notes on the subject for Caught Offside, where he made it clear that selling Ramsdale remained a summer priority for Mikel Arteta’s team.
He claimed that Arsenal would have wanted £50m for the England capped goalie a couple of years ago, but would now have to accept a lot less, given he’s lost his place in the team:
“Arsenal will want big money for [Ramsdale]. They spent £30m to bring him in from Bournemouth and he has established himself as a top international keeper since then. But it will be difficult. Clubs, aside from a select few, are not flush with money right now due to the profit and sustainability regulations.
“But also, Arsenal are not exactly in a strong position when it comes to negotiating. Everyone knows Arsenal will be open to a sale, but they also know that Ramsdale is pretty much surplus to requirements given that Raya is now undisputed No.1. Had Ramsdale been a regular starter, Arsenal could quite reasonably have demanded around £50m to do business. But it will be much, much harder for them to do that now, given his situation.
It still seems likely that they aim to get more than the £30m they paid Bournemouth for him though. Given Chelsea spent around £50m on two new keepers last summer, we’re pretty confident in ruling out any major move for Ramsdale from our end this summer – unless an unexpected Robert Sanchez sale comes up.
But the “big money” Watts mentions is surely off the table whatever happens.
