Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on David Raya having allegedly agreed personal terms with the Brentford goalkeeper.
David Raya has a long-term contract on offer at Tottenham Hotspur after ‘positive talks’ over a move to North London.
That is according to Fabrizio Romano, who has taken to Twitter to claim that Tottenham are pressing ahead with a move for Raya.
Romano claims that Tottenham are ‘on the verge’ of reaching an agreement with Raya over personal terms.
Spurs will be negotiating through Raya’s agent and Romano believes a deal between club band player is ‘almost agreed’.
The next step will be to try and find an agreement with Brentford, who are demanding a staggering £40million fee.
Raya is out of contract in 2024 and agent Jaume Munell claimed in May that Brentford must bring down their asking price – or Raya will sit out his contract and leave for free.
Tottenham don’t want to pay anywhere near that £40million fee and that could be a real sticking point.
The Daily Mail claimed in May that Tottenham value Raya at around £20million – half of Brentford’s demands.
There is a major gap to bridge but Tottenham seem to be taking positive steps forward in their pursuit of Raya.
David Raya is a major change from Hugo Lloris
It has become clear that Tottenham want a change in goal and the Hugo Lloris era seems to be coming to an end.
The Frenchman has been Tottenham’s number one for more than a decade now but he is no longer a top Premier League goalkeeper.
Lloris has been linked with moves to Saudi Arabia or even back to France, so Tottenham are now seeking a top replacement.
Raya would fit the bill but would also represent a major change between the sticks.
Lloris has mostly been a traditional keeper, being a strong shot-stopper and focusing more on keeping the ball out than starting attacks.
You could argue that Lloris from the same era as David De Gea in terms of goalkeepers who weren’t trained as much with their feet in their development.
Raya is a complete change, a goalkeeper who is comfortable from a high starting position and with great distribution.
Raya has even been hailed as ‘incredible’ by Jurgen Klopp thanks to his ability with the ball at his feet.
That suits new manager Ange Postecoglou much better than Lloris, with his interest seemingly signalling a new direction for Tottenham.
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