Medical done: Arsenal poised to sign £75k per week star, announcement in 24 to 48 hours - report
Arsenal are poised to sign a new goalkeeper before the end of the week, according to Sky Sports.
The Gunners were keen on landing Espanyol sensation Joan Garcia earlier this summer, but the 24-year-old ended up joining Barcelona instead.
Arsenal have now decided to sign Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for the deputy role behind David Raya. He has completed his medical today.
Sky Sports report that the Spaniard is putting the final touches to his £5 million switch from Chelsea.
An announcement of the transfer is expected within the next 24 to 48 hours.
Arrizabalaga is a good backup signing
The 30-year-old had a forgettable career with Chelsea in the Premier League, but his fortunes changed during his season-long loan at Bournemouth last term.
The Athletic graduate made an impressive 97 passes during the top-flight campaign and kept eight clean sheets. One of those came against Arsenal in October.
Arrizabalaga has been vulnerable to conceding from long-range shots in the past but only allowed two goals from such situations for the South Coast outfit.
The Spaniard, who was on £75,000 per week at Chelsea, has shown signs of improvement. His experience should be beneficial for the deputy goalkeeper position at Arsenal.
Gunners sporting director Andrea Berta may have played a big part in the transfer. The Italian had previously expressed reservations about purchasing Garcia from Espanyol for £21m.
Berta did not believe Arsenal should spend big on a backup shot-stopper. The London giants have now saved £16m in transfer fees with the acquisition of Arrizabalaga from Chelsea.
Aside from Arrizabalaga, Arsenal have also secured deals for midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard. Talks are ongoing to sign Valencia centre-back Cristhian Mosquera.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com, Capology.com & Sofascore.com
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