Brentford are planning for life after David Raya who they value at £40m; Thomas Frank's side are preparing Alban Lafont, Mark Flekken and Caoimhin Kelleher as replacement targets
Thursday 11 May 2023 16:48, UK
Brentford are targeting Alban Lafont, Mark Flekken and Caoimhin Kelleher as they plan for life after current No 1 goalkeeper David Raya.
The Spain international has been linked with a number of big clubs, including Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United, and the Bees are laying the groundwork on several replacements as the season draws to a close.
They believe Raya is worth £40m and have proven in the past that they will not sell players for less than their valuations.
Spurs have found this out before when they attempted to negotiate for Ollie Watkins in 2020, only to see him join Aston Villa for £33m.
Raya has a year left on his Brentford contract and twice rejected offers of new deals in the last 18 months, revealing publicly earlier this season that "he would like to see what happens in the summer".
Brentford are therefore ploughing ahead with plans to sign a new goalkeeper to compete with Thomas Strakosha, whom they signed last summer, and will do so regardless of Raya's future.
If another club does not meet his valuation the Bees are prepared to keep Raya until the end of his contract in 2024 - when clubs in LaLiga would prefer to target him as a free transfer - but he may find himself competing against two other goalkeepers for a place Thomas Frank's side.
Nantes shot-stopper Lafont, 24, is a former France U21 who has been tipped as a future successor to Hugo Lloris in the senior national side, while Freiburg's Flekken is already a fully-fledged Netherlands international at 29 and currently Ronald Koeman's second choice.
Liverpool's Kelleher needs less introduction to the Premier League, having made four appearances, as well as 16 more in cup competitions, including two in the Champions League.
The Republic of Ireland international is ready to become a No 1 elsewhere but still has three years left on his Liverpool deal.
Who will be on the move this summer? The transfer window opens on Saturday June 10 and will end on Friday September 1 at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland.
Keep up-to-date with all the latest transfer news and rumours in our dedicated Transfer Centre blog on Sky Sports' digital platforms. You can also catch up with the ins, outs and analysis on Sky Sports News.
