Fabrizio Romano reveals Tottenham have ‘almost agreed’ terms with £40m goalkeeper ahead of ‘crucial’ next step
Tottenham Hotspur have almost secured an agreement with Brentford goalkeeper David Raya, it has been revealed by Fabrizio Romano.
Raya is one of the main goalkeepers Tottenham have been taking a look at in recent months as they prepare to move on from Hugo Lloris. The club captain is now expected to leave Spurs this summer, in which case their plans to sign a new number one anyway will become even more important.
Brentford have already confirmed they are willing to sell Raya this summer, rather than run the risk of losing him for free in 2024 when his contract expires.
As such, there is an opportunity there for Tottenham if they want to take it. And it seems they have been making progress with one aspect of the negotiations.
On Sunday evening, Romano has revealed that Tottenham have ‘almost agreed’ terms with Raya for what would be a long-term contract.
The Spanish shot-stopper is said to be ‘open’ to joining Tottenham, who must nevertheless work on negotiating a transfer fee with his current employers at Brentford.
Despite making their intentions of selling him clear, Thomas Frank’s side are holding out for £40m as his transfer value. As Romano has reiterated, Tottenham think that would be too much, so are awaiting ‘crucial’ club-to-club talks to try and find a breakthrough.
If they can, then it shouldn’t take them too long after to get Raya’s signature on a contract.
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The 27-year-old has proven himself in the Premier League over the past couple of seasons. In the term just gone, he played in all 38 top-flight matches for Brentford, keeping 12 clean sheets in the process.
If they were to get their £40m asking price for him, Raya would become Brentford’s most expensive player sale of all time, surpassing £33m man, Ollie Watkins.
Even if Tottenham manage to drive the fee down, Raya is still almost certain to surpass Lloris as their most expensive recruit in the goalkeeping department.
Despite question marks about Lloris’ form in recent times, the Frenchman will still be a tough act to follow at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium because of his longevity.
And although Tottenham won’t be in any UEFA competition next season, they have been accustomed to competing at the higher end of the Premier League in recent seasons before the last. Thus, it will be over to Raya to prove he can cut it at a higher level if the move eventually goes through.
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