Arsenal agree second summer transfer for highly-rated Ajax star

Arsenal have reached an agreement with Ajax to sign English goalkeeper Tommy Setford, according to The Athletic.

The Gunners have pushed ahead with their interest for another goalkeeper in recent weeks after David Raya’s move was made permanent. Wolves’ Dan Bentley was the subject of an unsuccessful bid from the north Londoners, falling below his £1million valuation.

The report from The Athletic states that a compromise has been made on a fee in the region of €1m (£859,000) plus add-ons with the goalkeeper expected to sign an initial four-year contract at the Emirates Stadium.

Setford, 18, is a current England Under-20 international but was born in the Netherlands before rising through Ajax’s impressive youth academy.

His arrival comes after academy goalkeepers Ovie Ejeheri, James Hillson and Arthur Okonkwo all left the club at the expiry of their contracts. Danish youth international Lucas Nygaard joined the club earlier in the summer from FC Nordsjaelland.

Setford is expected to play within the youth set-up at Arsenal with the hope of eventually breaking into the first-team. The Gunners’ pursuit of Bentley was planned to see the 30-year-old Englishman play back-up to Raya and Ramsdale.

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Setford’s brother, Charlie, is a regular for Ajax’s B team. The brothers have been at the Dutch giants since early on in their career, with Tommy joining them at U8s. Now, he’s set to move back to his father’s home nation and join the Gunners.