Arsenal are said to have sought out a new goalkeeper to succeed David Raya.
Raya - who joined the club from Brentford last year - has kept 15 clean sheets so far this season but has drawn criticism for some high-profile mistakes.
His positioning for Bruno Fernandes' opener at Old Trafford in the 1-1 draw on Sunday was suspect and that could mean manager Mikel Arteta may look for a new option in between the sticks heading into next season.
Mikel Arteta could be about to sanction another ruthless Arsenal goalkeeper decision
Raya – ranked at no.4 in FourFourTwo's list of the best goalkeepers in the world right now – has had a good season, though he isn't perfect. A lackadaisical pass to Declan Rice in their Carabao Cup semi-final defeat to Newcastle United springs to mind, with Anthony Gordon pouncing to score.
Arteta has always publicly supported Raya – none more so than after his blunder during a 3-2 win over Tottenham in the North London derby in April 2024 – but should the Spaniard should be fearing the worst?
According to Cadena SER, Arsenal have already made their mind up, with Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García now high up on their transfer list for the summer. Barcelona are also interested in the 23-year-old but Arteta's side are said to be in 'pole position'.
That could spell trouble for Raya, who may now face a similar feat to former 'keeper Aaron Ramsdale, who was axed by Arteta and subsequently sold to Southampton.
The report also suggests Arsenal 'came close' to his €30m (£25.3m) release clause in the summer, offering €25m (£21.1m) and also failed to convince Espanyol of a deal.
They could now return to the table with another suitable offer, and with Barcelona dithering in the market, 2025 could be the year the young Spaniard makes the move to the Premier League.
What has Mikel Arteta said on David Raya?
"It’s part of football," Arteta told reporters when asked about Raya’s mistake that led to Romero’s goal in April 2024.
"It’s a sequence of play, I don’t like it, I don’t like the principles that we apply in that moment and the orientation of the ball. After that, that can happen, you misjudge the situation, you try to make the pass and you don’t and you are in doubt. They scored to take advantage of that.
"The penalty is another principle inside the box that you cannot do. It’s part of football," he added.
"What I love is that David does that [the mistake], he picks Gabriel Magalhaes up – that is quite heavy! – and then he was sensational in the last 20 to 25 minutes of the game. This is what I love about our players.’
FourFourTwo understands that though the idea is that 23-year-old Garcia could challenge Raya, who turns 30 this year, there's no immediate plan for one Spaniard to succeed another.
This may change, should Garcia begin to prove himself as the kind of commanding presence that Raya can't offer. And though spending a lot of money on a backup goalkeeper seems excessive, it seems as if this is the plan… at least for now.
