Arsenal have submitted their opening bid for David Raya, worth £23m in total, with the goalkeeper telling his club he wants the move.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Arsenal submitted their opening bid for David Raya on Thursday night, offering £20m as a fixed fee with an additional £3m in add-ons.

Romano adds that Raya has told Brentford he wants the move, and he’s already agreed personal terms with the Gunners.

Earlier in the summer, Brentford had put a £40m valuation on Raya, amid interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich.

But the goalkeeper has a year left on his contract, he won’t renew, and Brentford already signed a replacement, so Arsenal aren’t likely to offer that much. The Gunners also don’t have much competition, with Spurs and Bayern seemingly pulling out.

Bayern’s chances in the race took a major hit in recent days, with Raya preferring Arsenal, and neither Raya nor Brentford keen on Bayern’s loan proposal.

Raya made 39 appearances for Brentford last season, keeping 12 clean sheets.

The Gunners want the Spaniard to compete with Aaron Ramsdale for a starting spot in the coming campaign.

There’s no word yet on how Brentford are responding to Arsenal’s opening bid, which suggests at the very least that it wasn’t immediately accepted.

But with Raya putting pressure on, rival bidders pulling out of the race, and an apparent acceptance from all parties that the goalkeeper will soon be on the move, you’d hope the two clubs could come to an agreement soon.