Newcastle ‘ready to step up’ chase of Arsenal star AND stop Arteta signing Howe favourite

Newcastle United are ready to put their foot on the accelerator to move towards signing Aaron Ramsdale from Arsenal – and could thwart the Gunners’ plans to sign one of their own stars with a drastic measure too.

Ramsdale has lost his place as Arsenal’s main goalkeeper this season following the arrival of David Raya from Brentford. It seems unlikely he will spend a second season on the bench, so he will be assessing his options for a transfer.

According to TBR Football, Newcastle have firm plans to make an attempt for the signing of Ramsdale this summer. He previously played for Eddie Howe at Bournemouth.

Howe now wants to add another goalkeeper due to Nick Pope not always being available. Therefore, he could consider a reunion with Ramsdale.

In fact, that was already on the table just before January, when Pope suffered an injury. We explained at the time why a deal would have several factors to go through and it ultimately never came to pass.

Now, the report claims Newcastle are ‘ready to step up’ their pursuit of Ramsdale. It is not yet clear how much money they are willing to put on the table, but they might have already outlasted the competition for the 25-year-old.

Indeed, it is stressed that Chelsea have shifted their attention to other targets after also considering Ramsdale. Subsequently, Newcastle have a ‘free run’ at signing the England international.

For a transfer to happen, though, they will have to make an acceptable bid to Arsenal and convince Ramsdale to agree personal terms. The former Sheffield United shot-stopper may have to fight for his place in rotation with Pope, perhaps in a similar situation to the one he currently finds himself in with Raya, but he might have a more favourable share of the balance.

Indeed, when Arsenal signed Raya, Mikel Arteta claimed he would rotate between his two keepers, but the evidence since has been that he firmly prefers the Spaniard to Ramsdale.

And TBR Football now concludes that Arteta will not stand in Ramsdale’s way if he wishes to leave Arsenal in the summer, despite his contract still lasting until 2026 with the option of a further year.

Newcastle aim to stop Arsenal making own signing

While Ramsdale may be preparing to swap Arsenal for Newcastle, a couple of members of Howe’s squad have been linked with moves in the other direction.

TEAMtalk has revealed that midfielder Bruno Guimaraes would be intrigued about the idea of playing for Arsenal, while reports imply striker Alexander Isak is under serious consideration at the Emirates Stadium.

An earlier update from TBR, though, has revealed how Newcastle plan to combat the interest in Isak.

It’s been claimed that Newcastle are confident that Isak will sign a new contract soon, which could make him the highest earner in the club’s history.

By signing a new deal, Isak would avoid a wage drop imposed on Newcastle’s players for failing to qualify for the Champions League.

There was also a suggestion that the Sweden international’s representatives could push for Newcastle to add a release clause into his deal, which might pave the way for a future sale even though the Magpies are currently reluctant to accept any offers for the 24-year-old.

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