Sheffield United have been dealt a blow in their bid to keep Aaron Ramsdale at Bramall Lane this summer.

What's the talk?

That's according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that Arsenal have made initial contact with the Blades regarding a deal for the goalkeeper, with Mikel Arteta said to have been on the hunt for a shot-stopper since the departure of Emi Martinez last summer.

However, a further report by The Star revealed that, if Slavisa Jokanovic was to sanction the sale of the 23-year-old in the summer transfer window, it would not be for less than a figure of around £40m.

Jokanovic will be gutted

Considering how impressive Ramsdale was for United last season, despite the fact the club finished rock bottom of the Premier League standings, if Arsenal do go on to land the 'keeper this summer, it would be an outcome that will undoubtedly leave Jokanovic gutted.

Indeed, over his 38 top-flight appearances last term, the £10.8m-rated man helped his side keep five clean sheets, made an average of 3.9 saves and 0.3 successful runs out per game, as well as making a total number of 147 stops across the season.

These returns saw the £43k-per-week shot-stopper earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as the Blades' third-best performer in the Premier League.

As such, with Jokanovic facing the task of securing an immediate return to the top flight with Sheffield United next season, keeping hold of the man Jurgen Klopp dubbed an "incredible" goalkeeper this summer would appear to significantly increase the club's chances of going on to achieve this feat.

However, with Arsenal having already made contact with the Blades regarding the possibility of the 'keeper making a switch to north London, the chances of Ramsdale playing his football in the red and white of United next season seems like a rather unlikely prospect at present, unfortunately for the Bramall Lane faithful.

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