Arsenal confirm the signing of Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale

Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has completed a long anticipated move to Premier League outfit Arsenal for a fee believed to be around £24m, having been relegated from the top-flight back in May with the Blades.

The 23-year-old ‘keeper has been subject to interest from the Gunners for the majority of the summer with the Englishman set to join as Bernd Leno’s understudy with the signing of Runar Alex Runarsson proving to be unsuccessful last term.

Having been at Bramall Lane as a youngster, Ramsdale rejoined the Blades last summer after being relegated with Bournemouth. The Englishman had joined the south-coast side in 2017 for a fee of around £1m but United were forced to cough up an £18m fee to reacquire his services.

Three relegations in four years with Chesterfield (loan), Bournemouth and Sheffield United doesn’t bode well for the young goalkeeper’s CV, however, there is certainly excitement regarding the player Ramsdale could become.

England manager Gareth Southgate has already made his admiration for the goalkeeper public, including the 23-year-old in his preliminary EURO 2020 squad this summer, before opting to replace the injured Dean Henderson with Ramsdale.

At just 23 years of age, the ‘keeper has already accumulated 125 competitive appearances and there are certainly hopes that he can become one of England’s top goalkeepers in years to come.

However, this now puts Championship outfit Sheffield United in a difficult position with second-choice Michael Verrips suffering a far from convincing league debut at West Brom on Wednesday night. It is believed that the South Yorkshire club will look to add a new number one before the transfer window closes on 31 August.

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