Southampton agree deal to sign Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal for £25m

Crystal Palace set to sign Maxence Lacroix

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale warming up prior to kick-off in the Premier League match at the Emirates Stadium

Southampton have agreed to sign Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal in a permanent deal worth about £25m, including add-ons. Ramsdale will undergo a medical in the next 24 hours.

Saints will pay an initial £18m for the England goalkeeper, plus a further £1m if they avoid relegation from the Premier League. The rest of the financial package covers incentives.

Southampton have been trying to bolster their goalkeeping options, with a move for Feyenoord’s Justin Bijlow collapsing at the medical stage. Arsenal had wanted about £30m for the goalkeeper, who is backup to David Raya, with Wolves walking away from a deal but a compromise has been reached with Saints.

Ramsdale, who spent three years at Bournemouth after joining from Sheffield United in 2017, is poised to return to the south coast on a long‑term contract. Bournemouth were also interested in the 26‑year‑old but instead moved to sign the out‑of‑favour Kepa Arrizabalaga on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

Stoke-born Ramsdale was at Wembley in fancy dress for Southampton’s Championship playoff final win over Leeds in May, dressed as Hagrid from the Harry Potter films, to support close friend and then Saints winger David Brooks, who has returned to parent club Bournemouth.

“Any time one of our friends get to Wembley we do fancy dress, it’s something we’ve done and we’ve won three times from it so we’re not gonna break from tradition now,” Ramsdale said, explaining his appearance.

Ramsdale’s expected departure could trigger Arsenal’s move for the Espanyol goalkeeper Joan García. Eddie Nketiah is expected to be another departure before the transfer deadline on Friday, with Crystal Palace keen to tie up a £30m deal.

Federico Chiesa is due to undergo a medical on Merseyside after Liverpool and Juventus agreed a deal which could eventually be worth £12.5million.

The PA news agency understands the Reds have agreed to pay the Serie A outfit an initial £10m for the 26-year-old Italy forward, with a further £2.5m largely dependent upon the team's performance during his time at Anfield.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are weighing up whether to make an offer for Brentford’s Ivan Toney as they attempt to sign a striker before the transfer deadline on Friday. The club have also held talks with Manchester United for a swap involving Raheem Sterling and Jadon Sancho.

Toney has emerged as a potential solution for Chelsea after they failed to reach a breakthrough in talks with Napoli over Victor Osimhen.

Toney was left out of Brentford’s matchday squad on Sunday for the second week in succession after they rejected an offer of £35m from Al-Ahli. It is understood he has been offered a contract by the Saudi Arabian club worth a reported £16m a year but would prefer to stay in the Premier League.

Brentford are thought to want £50m for Toney, who has less than a year on his contract and has made no secret of his desire to leave. Chelsea are expected to test their resolve by making an initial offer significantly below the asking price, and Toney would be expected to fit into their wage structure. Toney has been linked in the past with United and Arsenal.

In other transfer news, Crystal Palace look set to sign Maxence Lacroix after agreeing a deal worth up to €21m with Wolfsburg for the French defender. Palace’s initial offer worth up to £14m for Lacroix – who played under Oliver Glasner during his spell in charge of Wolfsburg – was rejected but Palace returned with a new bid that will see them pay €18m (£15.1m) up front with €3m in potential add-ons. The 24-year-old had entered the final year of his contract and is believed to have been keen to reunite with Glasner.

It is understood that Palace have yet to receive a new bid from Newcastle for captain Marc Guehi having rejected several previous offers. The England defender played the entirely of Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup win against Norwich.

Palace are awaiting the results of a scan on Chadi Riad’s injured knee, with the Morocco international a major doubt for Sunday’s trip to Stamford Bridge.

Ipswich Town have confirmed the signing of Chiedozie Ogbene from Luton Town for an undisclosed fee. The 27-year-old Corkman joins the Premier League side on a four-year deal.

“I’m very excited and feel lucky to have this opportunity to play in the Premier League again,” Ogbene told TownTV.

Guardian and Agencies