Barcelona plotting move for 29-year-old Arsenal star as Hansi Flick looks to bolster squad in 2025: Reports
Barcelona are reportedly trying to bring in 29-year-old Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. As per a report from Football365, Raya is being considered as a long-term replacement to Marc-Andre ter Stegen by Barcelona.
The club has recently signed Wojciech Szczesny after ter Stegen suffered an injury some time back. Szczesny had announced his retirement from football after the 2023-24 season, but decided to come out of it to join Barcelona.
Barcelona now are looking for some backup in the goalkeeper position and David Raya stands out as the option they are interested in. Reportedly, he is also the name club president Joan Laporta has put on the table. The club looks at Raya as the ideal candidate to challenge ter Stegen in goal, maintaining the competition in the goalkeeper department.
Since taking charge, Hansi Flick has started a revolution at the Catalonia-based outfit. They currently sit at the top of the La Liga table with 24 points from nine games. However, with ter Stegen injured, a reason of worry was the final third of the pitch.
In modern football, the goalkeeper is a pivotal part of any team. And now with ter Stegen out for a long time, Szczesny is a short-term solution to the contingent. The Polish custodian penned a contract which will keep him at Barcelona till the end of this season.
For the upcoming season, David Raya is a main target considering his outings last season for Arsenal and also for the Spain national team. Raya was loaned out to Arsenal by Brentford for the entirety of the previous campaign, where he kept 20 clean sheets in 41 appearances across competitions.
Ahead of this season, the Gunners penned a permanent contract with the Spaniard, securing his services till 2028.
Getting Raya wouldn't be cheap and Laporta is aware of that. He is reportedly willing to make an economic effort in order to secure this position for the long run in the upcoming seasons.
How did the Barcelona skipper get injured?
Marc-Andre ter Stegen, the club captain, fell awkwardly while attempting a high claim against Villarreal in September. He had to be stretchered off the pitch. Later the club issued a statement where they revealed his injury.
The 32-year-old completely ruptured his patella tendon in the right knee for which he had to undergo surgery. It is expected to keep him out of action for a long period of seven months. There's every possibility he'll be returning to action next season only.