Exclusive: Arsenal may have missed out on £50m but still want big money for Chelsea transfer target

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale seems likely to leave the club in this summer’s transfer window, according to Gunners journalist Charles Watts.

Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, Watts explained that Ramsdale’s position looked more or less decided once David Raya joined Arsenal on loan from Brentford, with that deal set to be made permanent for £27million.

Raya has clearly become Mikel Arteta’s new number one ahead of Ramsdale, so it now just seems like a matter of when, rather than if, Arsenal let the England international go this summer.

Still, Watts did concede that one issue for Arsenal now is that their negotiating position on Ramsdale will be weaker, as everyone knows they’re under pressure to sell, meaning they have probably missed out on banking as much as £50million on him.

Ramsdale transfer: Arsenal will want big money but their negotiating position has weakened

Discussing what we can expect from Arsenal and Ramsdale this summer, Watts said: “Aaron Ramsdale’s future will certainly be one of the headline acts of the summer window. I’m certain he will leave, because Arsenal will sign David Raya on a permanent basis for £27million, barring any sort of major injury issue between now and then obviously. And we’ve seen this season that having two keepers of that stature just doesn’t really work. One was always going to go and from the moment Raya was established as No.1, it was always going to be Ramsdale to depart.

“Arsenal will want big money for him. They spent £30m to bring him in from Bournemouth and he has established himself as a top international keeper since then. But it will be difficult. Clubs, aside from a select few, are not flush with money right now due to the