Arsenal have held talks with Sheffield United over a potential deal to bring goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
Mikel Arteta is on the lookout for a new shot stopper amid growing concerns that current starter Bernd Leno may not be up to the job, with Ajax's Andre Onana the subject of most of the speculation recently.
However, according to The Times, Ramsdale is also on the radar and Arsenal have already held talks with Sheffield United, who are keen to make a profit on the England international and would demand a fee of around £24m.
23-year-old Ramsdale, who has suffered back-to-back relegations from the Premier League with Bournemouth and United, is keen to make the move, but whether Arsenal would be prepared to pay that kind of money is unclear.
The Gunners were offered the chance to make that kind of money by selling Emile Smith Rowe, who was the subject of a £25m bid from Aston Villa, but Arsenal wasted little time in swatting that offer away.
£24m for Ramsdale may be too steep for Arsenal, who are chasing a £40m move for Brighton centre-back Ben White and also want a new starting midfielder. Targets like Brighton's Yves Bissouma and Wolves' Ruben Neves are expected to command in excess of £30m.
It's for that reason that Arsenal have been chasing Onana. The Ajax goalkeeper, who was valued at close to £50m just a few years ago, is expected to be sold for around £5m this summer, with his expiring contract and complicated ban forcing Ajax's hand.
Onana was hit with a 12-month ban in February for ingesting a banned substance accidentally, but his appeal saw the suspension reduced by three months, meaning he will be able to return to match action in November 2021.
Arsenal had hoped to take advantage of the situation by striking a bargain deal for the 25-year-old, but according to Goal, a handful of other sides are now keen to do the same.
Onana has attracted interest from Ligue 1, while another top eight Premier League side are said to have reached out over a potential transfer. There's no mention of which team that is, so let your imagination run wild (we'll go first - definitely Tottenham).
With a path to Onana now filled with obstacles, Arsenal are looking elsewhere. Sky Sports News, who also confirm the interest in Ramsdale, state that the Gunners are still keen on a deal for Brighton's Mat Ryan, who spent the last six months on loan at the Emirates and is out of contract this summer.
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Source : 90min