£50 million rated Arsenal star ready to move to PL rivals in January - Reports

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale is reportedly open to joining Newcastle United in January to replace Nick Pope.

talkSPORT (via Metro) reports that Ramsdale is on the Magpies' shortlist to replace Pope who suffered a shoulder injury in a 1-0 win against Manchester United. The English shot-stopper is expected to be out of action for up to five months.

Thus, Eddie Howe is on the lookout for a replacement in January and could turn their attention to Ramsdale. The 25-year-old has dropped out of Mikel Arteta's starting XI this season, displaced by David Raya.

Ramsdale wants to keep his hopes of heading to Euro 2024 with England next year alive and his lack of game time at Arsenal is problematic. He's made eight appearances across competitions this season, keeping three clean sheets.

It's unclear whether Newcastle would pursue a permanent or loan deal for the England international. The Gunners could demand around £50 million for his services.

Ramsdale admitted last month that he was concerned after being dropped by Arteta. He was a standout performer for Arsenal last season, named in the PFA Team of the Year after keeping 14 clean sheets in 38 league games.

The former Sheffield United man has three years left on his contract at the Emirates. He joined the north Londoners back in 2021 from the Blades for £30 million.

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Arsenal have reportedly decided to make David Raya's loan move permanent

David Raya looks set to join the Gunners permanently.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that the Gunners have already decided to sign Raya permanently from Brentford. The Spanish goalkeeper joined Arteta's side on loan (£3 million fee) in the summer with a view to a permanent £27 million switch.

The 28-year-old has quickly become Arsenal's undisputed No.1, keeping seven clean sheets in 14 games across competitions. He's displaced Ramsdale since mid-September and looks set to be the north London giants' long-term shot-stopper.

Raya was unable to play in Arteta's side's 1-0 win against Brentford on November 25. This was due to Premier League rules forbidding players from playing against their parent club.

Ramsdale instead played in the victory at the Gtech Community Stadium. But, Raya replaced his English teammate in his side's 2-1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday (December 2).

The Spain international hasn't always displayed confidence since being handed Arsenal's No.1 jersey. He was particularly questionable in draws against Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea (both 2-2).

However, Arteta defended Raya, insisting he's not struggling to deal with the pressure of replacing Ramsdale (via GOAL):

"I haven't seen that at all."

Raya impressed for Brentford last season, keeping 12 clean sheets in 39 games across competitions. He's earned three caps for Spain's national team.