New Delhi: Aaron Ramsdale is all set to move from Arsenal after Southampton agrees to a permanent deal valued at £25m, including add-ons. Ramsdale will be undergoing medical in the coming 24 hours. Earlier, Bournemouth had shown interest for the 26-year-old but instead opted to go for Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan.
Saints will initially pay £18 for the English goalkeeper, with a further £1m if the club manages to avoid relegation from the Premier League, with £6m more to be paid based on the individual’s performance. The Gunners could themselves be making a move for Joan Garcia from Espanyol, according to sources, but the La Liga side are expected to ask for a fee that is out of Arsenal’s intended budget.
🚨🔴⚪️ Aaron Ramsdale to Southampton, here we go! Deal in place after official bid revealed earlier today.
Fee will be £24/25m add-ons included, agreed with Arsenal.
↪️🇪🇸 Arsenal are now prepared to go for Joan García from Espanyol in the next 24h! pic.twitter.com/qpMO5Wbk5n
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 28, 2024
Southampton have also been looking to strengthen their goalkeeping options for a while. Feyenoord’s Justin Bijlow was initially expected to join the club, but the move failed at the medical stage. Bijlow has confirmed that he is returning to his Rotterdam club as Southampton’s view on an “old injury” differs from Feyenoord but the one he surely respects.
Arsenal had initially asked for £30m for the goal-stopper, who had been playing second fiddle to David Raya since last summer. After the deal with the Wolves collapsed, who deemed it too expensive, Arsenal compromised on their demand with the Saints for Ramsdale, who made 78 overall appearances for the side.
Ramsdale had previously spent three years with Bournemouth, joining from Sheffield United in 2017. He had rejoined Sheffield United before coming to Arsenal and is now all set to go back to the South Coast. Before Raya’s arrival, Ramsdale had played every minute in each of Arsenal’s games in 2022-23, where they finished second behind Manchester City. Ramsdale has made only six appearances since Raya joined the club, whose contract has been turned from loan to permanent.
The England goalkeeper has made five appearances for his nation, with his recent one coming in June against Iceland. He is joining Southampton who have lost both games since being promoted to Premier League. Alex McCarthy started in both the games against Newcastle and Nottingham as the club lost 1-0 both times.
After initial deal with Wolves failed, Arsenal have agreed to a deal of £25m for Aaron Ramsdale with Southampton. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
