Wolverhampton Wanderers have indicated their interest in securing the services of Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal on a season-long loan deal.
Wolves Submit Bid To Sign Aaron Ramsdale From Arsenal
Reports indicate that Wolves submitted a bid to the Gunners on Monday, August 19, 2024, and their offer included an option to make the transfer permanent in 2025.
Ramsdale lost his place as first-choice goalie at Arsenal to David Raya during the 2023/24 season, as manager Mikel Arteta felt he wasn’t suited to his style.
Raya was initially on loan at the North London side and he proved himself worthy to be the team’s number 1 goalkeeper over the course of last season, and that earned him a permanent move to the club in the summer of 2024.
Why Does Aaron Ramsdale Want To Leave Arsenal?
It appears Aaron Ramsdale is not content with playing a second-fiddle role at Arsenal and as such, he is seeking first-team football elsewhere.
Despite making only 11 appearances for the Gunners in the 2023/24 season, Ramsdale was still selected amongst England’s runner-up squad for the 2024 European Championship.
Meanwhile, the Englishman was an unused substitute in Arsenal’s opening game of the 2024/25 Premier League season against Wolverhampton Wanderers, as David Raya kept his place in goal.
Portuguese shot-stopper Jose Sa has been the first-choice goalkeeper at Wolves since he joined the club from Olympiakos in 2021.
It will be fascinating to see how Aaron Ramsdale will snatch the goalkeeping position from Sa if the deal pulls through.
Ramsdale has made a cumulative 89 appearances for Arsenal, recording 32 clean sheets in all competitions.
Brentford Ready To Let Go Of Ivan Toney
The Bees are prepared to sanction the transfer of Ivan Toney away from the club and will likely accept a bid of £45 million from any team interested in the Englishman’s services.
Chelsea are understood to be interested in signing Toney, as they look to sort out their issues in the attacking department.
Ivan Toney was absent from Brentford’s squad for their 2-1 league win over Crystal Palace on Sunday, August 18, 2024, at the GTech Community Stadium.
Bees boss Thomas Frank expressed that there was much transfer activity surrounding the striker so he opted to exclude him from the match-day squad.
Brentford had valued Toney at about £70 million at the commencement of the summer, however, they are willing to drop their asking price to as low as £45 million.
According to reports, Brentford are changing their stance because interest in the 28-year-old from Premier League clubs is waning.
Manchester United, Newcastle United, Arsenal, and Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with the forward.
Ivan Toney has also caught the eyes of clubs in Saudi Arabia, but it appears the England international is keen on remaining in the Premier League.
Toney is demanding an annual wage of £17 million from any club interested in getting his services and that amounts to about £325,000 per week.
Ivan Toney scored 20 Premier League goals in the 2022/23 season but missed the majority of the last campaign due to an eight-month ban for breaching betting rules.
Brentford are also prepared for life after Ivan Toney, with the signing of Igor Thiago this summer from Club Brugge for a fee of £30 million.
Anyway, Toney has scored 72 goals and provided 23 assists in 141 appearances for Brentford across all competitions.
Arsenal Reach Major Breakthrough In Deal To Sign Mikel Merino
It appears the Gunners are edging closer to acquiring Spanish international Mikel Merino from Real Sociedad.
Merino was excluded from Real Sociedad’s contingent to face Real Vallecano, as they kicked off their La Liga campaign with a 2-1 home defeat on Sunday, August 18, 2024.
The president of Real Sociedad has revealed that Arsenal want to sign Mikel Merino and it apparently aligns with the wishes of Mikel Merino.
Speaking during an interview, president Jokin Aperribay said: “Unfortunately, one of the teams we didn’t want to show up showed up [Arsenal].
“When we consider that the offer is good, we will say yes. We know what Merino’s wishes are, so we decided not to call him up [to the squad].”
Real Sociedad handler Imanol Alguacil acknowledged ahead of their defeat on Sunday, August 18, 2024, that Merino’s absence was due to a potential transfer.
Imanol said: “I’ve left Merino out of the squad as there are talks with other clubs… and this is the best solution now.”
Arsenal initially tabled a bid of £21.5 million to sign the Spaniard, but the offer was rejected, and they are now reportedly preparing to put forward an improved bid of £30 million to get Merino.
Mikel Merino At Euro 2024
Mikel Merino had a stellar outing with Spain at the 2024 UEFA European championship, helping La Roja secure the title for the 3rd time in history.
Merino scored the decisive second goal against Germany in the quarter-finals, a thumping header in the 119th minute, which broke the hearts of German faithfuls, as Spain picked up a 2-1 win over the hosts.
Mikel Merino made 7 appearances at the tournament, but started just 1 game, scoring 1 goal and providing no assists.
In the 2023/24 season, Merino made 45 appearances across all competitions for Sociedad, scoring 8 goals and providing 5 assists in all competitions.
Cumulatively, Mikel Merino has made 242 appearances for Real Sociedad, scoring 27 goals and providing 30 assists in all competitions.
Merino has previously played in England, donning the colours of Newcastle United between July 2017 and June 2018, having joined the club on loan from Borussia Dortmund.
Arsenal have already acquired defender Riccardo Calafiori for £42 million from Bologna this summer and have also made David Raya’s loan move from Brentford permanent.
There are also indications that the Gunners might sign a striker this summer, with Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen linked with the club.
