Southampton to sign Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal in deal worth up to £25m

Southampton have agreed a deal worth up to £25 million to sign England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal.

‌Ramsdale’s future has been a source of uncertainty since he was ousted by David Raya as Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper last season.

‌Wolves also showed interest in signing Ramsdale this summer but they have since turned their attention to Crystal Palace goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

‌Ramsdale, 26, is expected to complete his move to Southampton before the transfer window closes at 11pm on Friday (Aug 30). The deal agreed by the clubs is believed to be worth an initial £18 million, with a further £7 million in potential add-ons.

‌Arsenal have set their sights on Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia as Ramsdale’s replacement. Garcia, 23, is a Spanish youth international who became a regular starter for Espanyol in the second half of last season.

‌Ramsdale will hope his imminent move to Southampton will put his career back on track after he was picked to play in only 11 games in all competitions last season.

‌He has experience of life on the south coast, having previously played for Bournemouth, and was among Southampton’s fans at Wembley for their play-off final victory over Leeds United last season. Ramsdale was there to support his close friend, David Brooks, who was on loan from Bournemouth.

‌Arsenal paid around £27 million to turn Raya’s loan from Brentford into a permanent move earlier this summer, which all but confirmed that Ramsdale’s time in north London was over.

‌Arsenal are working on his departure at the same time as finalising striker Eddie Nketiah’s roughly £25 million transfer to Crystal Palace.

‌If the Ramsdale and Nketiah moves are completed, as expected, Arsenal will have generated around £90 million in sales this summer. So far, they have invested around £100 million to secure the services of Raya, defender Riccardo Calafiori and midfielder Mikel Merino.

‌Arsenal remain in the market for a winger to add depth to their attack, but any move could depend on selling players, with Reiss Nelson another player likely to be moved on.