Real Madrid eye move for third Arsenal star amid desire to sign William Saliba & Myles Lewis-Skelly for £101m

Arsenal will be looking to make some big moves in the transfer market this summer as Mikel Arteta prepares his squad for another Premier League title push next season, the Gunners boss will be hoping to go one better after what could be a third successive second-placed finish.

The Spaniard’s top priority will be signing a striker after a lack of options up front have cost the North Londoners in recent months. Arteta has been forced to deploy Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker after injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.

But a huge spanner could be thrown into the works by Real Madrid as Los Blancos plan an Emirates raid just weeks after they were knocked out in the Champions League quarter-finals at the hands of the London side.

Madrid are targeting as many as three of Arsenal’s top performers. Reports in Spain earlier this week detailed plans of an ambitious attempt to sign William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly for a combined £101m (€120m), but fresh reports have revealed the 15-time champions of Europe plan to take this yet further by prising another of Arteta’s key assets away from the club.

Real Madrid target David Raya as they look to bolster goalkeeping department

Real are looking to sign a new goalkeeper this summer to provide competition to Thibaut Courtois, particularly if back-up Andriy Lunin leaves to seek regular first-team football elsewhere.

David Raya has emerged as a prime candidate according to Fichajes, attracting the interest of the Spanish giants due to qualities such as his ball-playing ability and leadership skills. While persuading Arsenal to let their No. 1 go would be a difficult task, Los Blancos are said to hold a keen interest in the Spaniard.

The move may appear counter-productive for Raya, who only just earnt his role as undisputed first-choice at Arsenal last season after all the media attention surrounding his competition with Aaron Ramsdale early in the campaign. But at 29 years old, Raya is four years younger than Courtois and could be viewed as his long-term successor.

David Raya has stood out for Arsenal this season

Raya has shone for the Gunners once again this season, keeping 12 clean sheets in the league to rank second in the Golden Glove rankings. He could yet win the award as he is only one clean sheet behind Nottingham Forest’s Matz Sels with two fixtures to play.

The Spanish international is as important as anyone to what Arteta is building at the club, and likely still has his best years ahead of him as he gains recognition as one of the best and most reliable shot-stoppers in Europe. The Gunners will surely do all they can to ensure Raya resists the temptations of Madrid and remains in North London.

Speaking last year, Arteta said of Raya: “What I like about David is the things he does in goal and the things he prevents that sometimes you don’t even see because they don’t happen — because he has anticipated them.

“He had a very challenging environment but I love players with the courage, character and personality that even when it’s like this, they want to be themselves and they push themselves to do that. He has earned the right to be very respected and I’m very happy he’s doing it.”