"Internal discussions will take place" - Fabrizio Romano names one issue in Arsenal's pursuit of Aymeric Laporte

Fabrizio Romano provided an update on Arsenal's reported pursuit of Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte. The Gunners were previously linked with making a move for Laporte. Jurrien Timber's suffering an ACL injury during the pre-season has further fueled those rumors.

Romano, however, said that City are reluctant to sell another player to Mikel Arteta's side. They let Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus join the Gunners last season, and both players became key parts of Arteta's team.

Speaking about the north London club's pursuit of Laporte, Romano wrote for CaughtOffside:

"One player they appreciate is Aymeric Laporte – the rumours are true in the sense that he is liked by Arsenal, but the problem is Manchester City don’t want to sell another player to Arsenal, they prefer another destination for him."

Romano added that whether Arteta will like to buy a central defender or a full-back after Timber's injury is unclear.

He wrote:

"Internal discussions will take place on that, with Mikel Arteta involved."

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David Raya 'can't wait' to start training with Arsenal

David Raya has completed a season-long loan to Arsenal from Brentford. The Spaniard joins the club as one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League, and he is raring to go for his new club.

Raya was recently presented as a new Gunner. While speaking to the media for the first time since completing his loan transfer, Raya said he is keen on getting to the training pitch.

The Spaniard said (via the Gunners' website):

“I can’t wait to be out there training with the lads and getting that GK union going. That’s a tight group that we’re always going to get along and push each other, so that’s going to be a healthy group in my opinion. I just can’t wait to get going and meet the lads."

He added:

“One of the challenges is to get used to the style and the patterns, and get to know the players as soon as possible to get that bond from the beginning. Knowing the players and the staff, I think they’re going to put me in the right direction and I’ll fit in straight away.”

Raya could turn out to be a valuable addition to the team, as he looks set to provide competition to Aaron Ramsdale in goal. The Spaniard can also challenge Ramsdale for the first-choice goalkeeper spot.