Premier League star reaches agreement in principle on personal terms to join Arsenal: Reports

David Raya has reportedly reached an agreement on personal terms to join Arsenal this summer.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Brentford have been informed by the player's side that he wants to switch to the Emirates. The two London clubs will now hold talks over a transfer fee.

Raya, 27, has been in England since signing from Blackburn Rovers' academy in 2012. He has slowly made himself into one of the Premier League's most in-demand goalkeepers, balancing his quality as a shot-stopper with his ability to play out from the back.

Bayern Munich have been linked with a move for Raya as they search for Manuel Neuer's competition and eventual successor. But it seems Arsenal, despite having Aaron Ramsdale in goal, have accelerated talks to sign the Spain international.

It remains to be seen if Brentford will budge on the £40 million price tag they have so frequently quoted for Raya this summer. The player has entered the final year of his contract at the Gtech Community Stadium.

Mikel Arteta could be looking to replace Ramsdale in goal with the Brentford custodian. He wanted to sign the latter before the England international joined the Gunners in 2021 for a fee of £30 million.

Ramsdale has since been the club's undisputed No. 1, keeping 29 clean sheets in 78 appearances across two seasons.

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Arsenal's Mikel Arteta recalls what he learned from Arsene Wenger as a manager

Mikel Arteta has lavished praise on Arsene Wenger after Arsenal unveiled a statue of the legendary French tactician outside the Emirates last week.

Arteta recalled that Wenger always thought he was going to be a manager after he retired from playing. He said, via Daily Cannon:

"Even the first year when I got here, he said to me: ‘one day you are going to be a manager’, and I wasn’t really thinking about that at that time. I learned so much from him and if I had to pick one of his many great values, it is how loyal he was and how much he defended the club, its players and football in general.

"The way he defended the club, the way he presented himself, the way he was loyal to the players and his staff is something that I really took from him. He is an example for me."

Arteta played 150 games under Wenger as a player, winning two FA Cups. The French manager enjoyed an incoming 22-year stay in north London, where he won seven FA Cups and two Premier League titles.

Wenger left the Gunners in May 2018 and was replaced by Unai Emery. Arteta, meanwhile, has been the club's manager since December 2019.