BREAKING NEWS: A £100 million Arsenal star has chosen to leave the club due to Mikel Arteta’s decisions, following Xhaka’s exit from Arsenal.
Arsenal and Liverpool are both reportedly interested in signing Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow this summer, as reported by Dutch outlet De Telegraaf.
Last summer, Arsenal brought in David Raya from Brentford on a season-long loan with an option to buy. The club is expected to finalize his transfer this month. Raya’s arrival led to Aaron Ramsdale being demoted to the role of second-choice goalkeeper, sparking speculation that the 26-year-old Ramsdale might look for new opportunities elsewhere.
According to De Telegraaf, Bijlow is likely to move to the Premier League in the upcoming transfer window, with both Arsenal and Liverpool considering him an ideal second-choice goalkeeper with significant potential for growth.
Similar to Arsenal, Liverpool is also in the market for a new backup goalkeeper for Alisson, as Caoimhin Kelleher is expected to leave in search of a starting position at another club. Bijlow is viewed as an excellent candidate to replace Ramsdale at Arsenal.
Arsenal has set a high price tag of £50 million for Ramsdale, with £40 million required as a guaranteed fee. While there have been no formal offers yet, proposals are expected in the coming weeks. The club may be open to negotiating the fee if Ramsdale expresses a desire to leave.
In such a scenario, Bijlow would be a suitable replacement for the English goalkeeper. Last season, the Dutch international averaged 33 passes per league game with a pass accuracy of nearly 87 percent. He successfully completed 53 percent of his long balls and made 10 ball recoveries per match.
These statistics surpass those of Ramsdale, who had a pass accuracy of 65 percent, completed 29 percent of his long balls, and made nine recoveries per game last season.
However, Bijlow’s injury record is a concern, as he missed 27 games due to injuries for both club and country last season. This is a factor Arsenal needs to consider. Despite this, Arsenal might proceed with signing him as his workload would be significantly reduced as a backup.