Arsenal have made an improved offer of £300,000 for Dan Bentley, and a compromise with Wolves for the goalkeeper’s signing is expected.
According to The Sun, Arsenal are still in pursuit of Dan Bentley and have made an improved offer worth around £300,000 for the 31-year-old former academy ace. Wolves are demanding £1 million, although the two clubs are expected to reach a compromise and finalise the deal shortly.
Arsenal make an improved offer for Dan Bentley
Arsenal have begun to ramp up their efforts in the transfer market and have come close to signing key defensive target Riccardo Calafiori in the past few days. They are also keen on a goalkeeper, preferably for the third-choice role in the first team, and recently had a bid rejected by Wolves for Dan Bentley.
Bentley is a former Gunner, having come through the ranks in their academy, and is open to returning to the club 15 years after leaving. He has had spells across various divisions but excelled in the Championships and has more than 430 senior appearances under his belt.
Arsenal were expected to return with an improved offer, with their opening bid worth a reported £50,000 swiftly rejected by Wolves earlier. The Midlands outfit paid a similar amount for him when they signed the 31-year-old 18 months ago. They are reportedly seeking £1 million to sell him, something the Gunners are unwilling to pay.
Arsenal have reportedly made that improved offer, with the proposal worth around £300,000, as the two clubs are expected to compromise. Bentley is likely to come into the team as their third-choice keeper behind David Raya and Aaron Ramsdale, as he also knows current Gunners goalkeeping coach Inaki Cana.
Arsenal’s goalkeeping setup explained.
Raya has already signed a permanent deal with Brentford and will undoubtedly remain Mikel Arteta’s first-choice stopper. Aaron Ramsdale might look for a move, with reports suggesting that Arsenal might even consider shipping him out on loan in this window.
Meanwhile, they have signed Tommy Setford from Ajax, and the young keeper is part of their pre-season tour of the US. Then there’s Karl Hein, who is expected to depart on loan after the pre-season tour. This leaves some questions regarding their first team setup, considering Setford is not considered a part of it now.
Hence, with Bentley likely to begin the new campaign as their third choice, and if Ramsdale leaves, Arsenal could dip into the market again for a new keeper. On paper, they could even potentially promote the 31-year-old former academy ace as their second choice, and Setford takes the third spot, as things are still unclear on that front.