Arsenal are set to complete the signing of AFC Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto on the transfer deadline day.
According to Alex Crook, the Gunners have agreed a loan deal to sign the 35-year-old goalkeeper.
The talkSPORT journalist wrote on his personal X account (30 August) that Neto will undergo his medical today before completing his move to Arsenal.
Arsenal needed to sign a back-up goalkeeper for David Raya after they agreed to sell Aaron Ramsdale to Southampton.
The Saints have agreed a deal already to sign the England goalkeeper. The Gunners wanted to sign Espanyol keeper Joan Garcia as a replacement, but the La Liga club were unwilling to lower their asking price below his €30 million release clause.
As a result, they moved in quickly to secure a deal for Neto, who is a highly experienced goalkeeper. Sky Sports journalist Mark McAdam claims that it will be a straight loan, and the Gunners will not have an obligation to buy him.
Neto will be a fantastic signing for Arsenal
Ramsdale is too good a player to warm the bench week in and week out, and he desperately needed to join a club where he would be getting regular games.
Garcia, 23, would have been a fabulous option for the Gunners, but it hardly makes sense to pay such a high transfer fee for a second-choice goalkeeper.
Neto deal agreed late last night. Medical at #AFC today. Straight loan. https://t.co/eLxjcv5h8t
— Alex Crook ⚽️🎙 (@alex_crook) August 30, 2024
Neto was a key player for Bournemouth last season and made 32 appearances for the club. He kept seven clean sheets in the process.
In all probability, Neto would have slipped down the pecking order at the club after the Cherries signed Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan from Chelsea for the rest of the season.
Mark Travers has been linked with a move to Crystal Palace this summer, but after Neto’s departure, he is likely to stay at the club and compete with Kepa for regular starting role.
