Chelsea and Manchester United could now rival Arsenal for the transfer of AFC Ajax gem Diant Ramaj in the summer as the Premier League rivals eye a new goalkeeper.
The Blues, Red Devils and Gunners are each likely to be in the market for a new shot-stopper when the sales re-open. Chiefs from Stamford Bridge, Old Trafford and Emirates Stadium all feel their club needs to invest between the sticks to add greater depth for a crucial position.
For Arsenal, any swoop to sign Ramaj would be to replace Aaron Ramsdale with David Raya firmly boss Mikel Arteta’s No1. That is according to Football Transfers, which notes that the north London club have marked the Ajax talent as a firm target for in case Ramsdale leaves.
Arsenal identify Diant Ramaj as a replacement for Aaron Ramsdale
Arsenal fully intend to trigger their £27m option to buy Raya from Brentford in the summer following his initial loan. But the Spaniard’s permanent move is likely to see Ramsdale leave in the off-season. The idea of being the No2 for good does not sit well with the England ace.
So, the transfer team at Arsenal have identified Ajax goalkeeper Ramaj as a replacement for Ramsdale in Arteta’s 2024/25 squad. The Gunners have also followed the 22-year-old since he played for Eintracht Frankfurt. He left them after two years for De Godenzonen in August.
Ramaj appeals to Arsenal as he is good with the ball, especially when playing long passes to forwards, which Arteta demands. Ajax are also only looking for €15m (£13m) to sell the ex-Germany youth international. Eintracht Frankfurt will get 15% of any fee in a sell-on clause.
Chelsea and Manchester United could rival for a transfer with Ajax
But Ajax might yet relish a bidding war for Ramaj, as Christian Falk now reports that Arsenal could face competition from Chelsea and Manchester United for his transfer. The German’s impressive efforts in Amsterdam this term have caught the Premier League giants’ interest.
The Johan Cruyff Arena side may be fifth in the Eredivisie table and sit 29 points from table-toppers PSV Eindhoven but Ramaj has still managed to impress. The Stuttgart native has so far kept three clean sheets over his 17 outings after starting the season as their No2 option.
Ramaj has featured 26 times across all competitions so far this season, including in six UEFA fixtures. While his work against Bodo/Glimt in Ajax’s Conference League intermediate stage second-leg play-off impressed Kenneth Perez while helping to get a 2-1 win after extra time.
“Once again the best on the Ajax side is Ramaj,” Perez told ESPN at half-time, via quotes by Voetbalzone. “He is doing really great.”