Real Sociedad are very close to completing the signing of Mat Ryan from Brighton, according to a report from Spain.

Diario Vasco report that Real Sociedad are very close to signing Mat Ryan. They’re hoping to complete the deal as soon as possible to have him involved in the early stages of pre-season this month, so talks aren’t expected to drag on.

This isn’t the first we’ve heard of interest from abroad. Sky Sports reported last month that Arsenal were one of the clubs interested in signing Ryan, but they faced competition from France and Spain.

Ryan will certainly leave Brighton this summer, and it looks like Real Sociedad are a much more likely destination than Arsenal.

Sky Sports now report that the goalkeeper is close to signing after Brighton agreed a fee with Real Sociedad. They add that personal terms have also been agreed in principle and a medical is expected this week.

The problem at Arsenal is that Bernd Leno remains the undisputed number one, and that was the case throughout Ryan’s loan. Ryan has more faith in nailing down the first-choice spot in Sociedad as a result.

At 29, you can understand why he’s prioritising playing time. These are his peak years, there’s plenty of time to be a bench option further down the road.

Arsenal appear to be on the hunt for a young, homegrown goalkeeper anyway, so it looks like Ryan’s move to Spain isn’t going to be a major issue.