EXPRESS
Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham may be one step closer to poaching David Raya from Brentford after the Bees officially announced the signing of goalkeeper Mark Flekken on Wednesday morning. Raya is widely expected to leave west London before the start of the new season and is thought to have no shortage of suitors from elsewhere in England, with some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs said to be keen on securing the 27-year-old’s signature.
United have been credited with an interest in landing Raya as a potential back-up option for David de Gea, who is currently in talks over a new and improved contract at Old Trafford. Chelsea are also said to be keeping a close eye on the former’s situation at Brentford, while Tottenham have reportedly earmarked him as one of several options to replace Hugo Lloris between the sticks next season.
It seems as though Brentford may be resigned to the possibility of losing Raya to a bigger club this summer, with the Bees having moved quickly to secure his replacement in the form of Flekken. The Netherlands international was officially unveiled as a new Brentford player on Wednesday after completing an £11million move and signing a four-year contract at the Gtech Community Stadium.
“We’re very happy to have signed Mark,” said Brentford head coach Thomas Frank. “He’s a player with a lot of quality who will strengthen our goalkeeper group. He has big experience and joins us after two great seasons with Freiburg, who have just had a top season in the Bundesliga, finishing fifth and qualifying for the Europa League.”
United, Chelsea and Tottenham have all been linked with a summer move for David Raya (Image: GETTY)
It remains to be seen whether Flekken’s arrival at Brentford will precede a move elsewhere for Raya, although it seems likely that the Spaniard will fly the nest in search of a new challenge in advance of next season. His preference would reportedly be to join a club at which he can play Champions League football in order to test himself at the highest possible level, which could potentially give United the upper hand after securing their place in the competition earlier this month.
He is also eager to stay in and around the Spain squad and would likely be seeking regular playing time as a result, meaning that he could entertain the idea of signing for United, Chelsea or Tottenham if he is promised that he would not simply be drafted in as a back-up option. The Brentford stopper is said to be admired by the aforementioned clubs for his ability to play the ball out with his feet, which has been a major factor in shaping his relative success with the west Londoners over the last few seasons.
