Will USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner leave Arsenal? Twist in the tale as Gunners target replacement

Arsenal are working on a deal to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, a move that could force US men’s national team first-choice Matt Turner to leave the Emirates Stadium after just one year.

Raya is currently weighing up his options and his departure from Brentford is seen as almost certain given he is in the final year of his contract with Bayern Munich, who are also said to be admirers of the Spaniard. The Bundesliga champions tabled a loan offer earlier this week, which would have required Brentford to extend his contract by a further 12 months. The proposal was rejected by the Bees.

CBS Sports sources have indicated that Raya is preferring a move to Arsenal over interest from Germany, although both teams will need to reach an agreement with Brentford to make a decision. Team manager Thomas Frank acknowledged earlier this week that the goalkeeper was likely to leave the club this summer, but made it clear that any deal would have to make financial sense for the Bees.

“I think it’s natural that he would want to leave if it’s a good opportunity for him,” Frank said. “We all think it’s a good idea for the right price.”

Raya, who would meet Premier League and UEFA domestic growth criteria, has been on Arsenal’s radar since his time at Blackburn Rovers, which he left in 2019 to join his current club, where he worked with current Gunners goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana. In the summer of 2020, Brentford rejected several offers of around £10m from the Gunners for their goalkeeper. If they were successful three years later, Mikel Arteta would find himself with two of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers in his squad, giving Aaron Ramsdale the same competition for a starting spot that many of his teammates face.

That rivalry may not have been evident last season, when Turner featured in seven matches following his arrival from New England Revolution. He did not feature in a single minute of Premier League soccer and was notably left out of the team for the second leg of the Europa League round of 16 against Sporting. The open question at Arsenal this summer was whether the 29-year-old would feature in many games beyond domestic competitions next season as Arteta’s side will be competing in the Champions League.

“This season has been incredible at Arsenal,” he said. “I learned a lot and we won games, but I would have liked to have played a bit more. From a personal point of view, I didn’t score as many goals as I would have really liked.” Turner interests Nottingham Forest