Arsenal to confirm £27m deal 'soon', according to transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during a training session at London Colney on November 23, 2023 in St Albans, England.
(Image credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

Arsenal are to complete a permanent deal imminently, as Mikel Arteta juggles Financial Fair Play considerations.

The Gunners completed £200 million worth of transfers in the summer, with Declan Rice the headline arrival for around £105m. While Rice has been a hit, however, the summer's other three signings – Kai Havertz, David Raya and Jurrien Timber – haven't made the same impact, with the former two dividing opinion and the latter picking up a ligament injury on Matchday 1.

In the case of Raya, Arsenal had to structure the move as a loan with an option to buy, as they were sailing close to FFP limits. According to journalist Fabrizio Romano though, this will be addressed in the coming weeks. 

David Raya of Arsenal looks on from the bench prior to the Premier League match between Brentford FC and Arsenal FC at Gtech Community Stadium on November 25, 2023 in Brentford, England.

David Raya joined Arsenal on an initial loan (Image credit: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

"The Raya deal was going to be permanent at the beginning, but they had to change the structure of the deal because of Financial Fair Play," Romano told GIVEMESPORT

"From what I've heard, it's already agreed, so I don't know when they will make it official. Brentford decided to help Arsenal with that, but it is not going to change anything. The deal will be made permanent."

Despite Arteta stating that he didn't have a No.1 goalkeeper earlier this season, Raya has started every game in the Premier League and Champions League, except for a dead rubber away to PSV and the away trip to Brentford in which he was ineligible as a loanee.

Aaron Ramsdale

Aaron Ramsdale looks set for an exit after a tumultuous season (Image credit: Getty Images)

Arsenal are expected to keep hold of Ramsdale this month but should they sell the England international before June 30, any transfer fee received as part of the deal will be placed on this season's accounts to help meet financial regulations. 

Raya is valued at €35m by Transfermarkt

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Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.