Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale’s departure from the club seems like a matter of when, not if, according to journalist Charles Watts.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing column this week, Watts explained that although Ramsdale himself has played down links with Newcastle United, it still seems inevitable that the England international will be moving on sooner or later.
Ramsdale had been first choice for Arsenal until the arrival of David Raya on loan from Brentford, with the Spanish shot-stopper now clearly Mikel Arteta’s first choice in that position.
As such, it surely makes sense for a fine player like Ramsdale to look for a move elsewhere, but Watts urged Arsenal not to accept just £15million for the 26-year-old, as his value has surely gone up from the £30m they first paid to sign him.
Discussing Ramsdale’s future, Watts said: “The whispers around Aaron Ramsdale and Newcastle have been circling for some time now. There has certainly been an expectation for the past couple of months that this is a move that could happen come the summer window, but I haven’t heard that anything has been agreed yet.
“Ramsdale was quick to rubbish talk of any agreement last week, but I do think he will be on the move at some point over the next couple of months.
“Obviously we have the Euros coming up and he will be away with England, so that could delay things and Arsenal also need to be confident that they can land a replacement before sanctioning any exit.
“But I do think both things will happen. It’s a matter of when Ramsdale leaves, not if.
“The key thing for Arsenal is getting value for money. I saw an initial fee of £15 million mentioned in reports last week and that is quite frankly ridiculous. Arsenal signed Ramsdale for nearly £30m two years ago and he has developed into a far better keeper since then.
“He’s still young, he’s homegrown, an established England international and has a long-term contract. Yes, interested clubs will know that Arsenal’s stance in any negotiations will be weakened somewhat given he is now clearly behind David Raya in the pecking order, but that shouldn’t mean the club should basically give him away.
“Ramsdale is a top class keeper and he’s shown that at Arsenal. When you look at what other keepers have moved for in the last couple of seasons, a bid of £15m shouldn’t even be one that Arsenal entertain.”
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