Arsenal are on the brink of selling Aaron Ramsdale, a year after controversially deciding to bench the goalkeeper in favour of David Raya.
Ramsdale was named in the 2022/23 PFA Team of the Year as the Gunners mounted a first genuine Premier League title challenge in 15 years.
At that stage, he might have been hopeful of potentially displacing Jordan Pickford as England number one going into Euro 2024.
But things very quickly unravelled when Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta decided that Raya would be a better tactical fit. The Spaniard arrived from Brentford on loan and has since joined permanently.
Now, however, Ramsdale looks set to get his career back on track. The Athletic reports that Arsenal have agreed to a £25m transfer that includes add-ons.
A medical is the next step, but everything points to him joining the Saints before Friday’s transfer deadline.
In turn, Arsenal will “advance their efforts” to sign Joan Garcia from Espanyol as a replacement. The 23-year-old Spaniard became a starter at the Barcelona-based club in March of last season as they secured promotion back to La Liga, but he would serve as back-up to Raya in north London.
For Ramsdale, it means a return to the south coast. The Stoke-born goalkeeper joined Bournemouth for £800,000 from Sheffield United at the age of 19 and spent three and a half years with the Cherries.
He was a starter in his final season there in 2019/20, before returning to Sheffield for £18.5m. A year after that, Arsenal agreed a £24m deal, potentially rising to £30m.
Veteran stopper Alex McCarthy has been restored as Southampton’s starter so far this season, with Gavin Bazunu ruled out long-term with an Achilles injury. McCarthy had been a back-up since 2022.