Arsenal have confirmed that David Ospina has secured a permanent move to Napoli this summer after impressing on loan for the Serie A outfit last season.
The 30-year-old joined the Gunners in 2014 from Nice, and went on to make just 70 appearances for the club as he struggled to displace Petr Cech in the line-up.
SEE MORE: Arsenal advised to seal surprise transfer of 32-year-old Premier League star
Coupled with the signing of Bernd Leno last summer, that led to the decision to join Napoli on loan where the Colombian shot-stopper established himself as a key figure for Carlo Ancelotti, and as per the tweet below, they have now opted to sign Ospina outright.
According to The Sun, the deal is said to be worth around £3.1m, giving Arsenal a small financial boost as it could go towards their own spending this summer.
Nevertheless, unless Unai Emery is planning on using Emiliano Martinez as back-up next season, then the Spanish tactician may well need to consider signing another goalkeeper to fill the void Ospina leaves behind, especially after Cech’s retirement at the end of last season too.
That leaves Arsenal short in that department, and so it’s another area in which Emery will have to try and bring in reinforcements with time rapidly ticking along with pre-season drawing closer.
As for Ospina, he will continue to face competition for places at Napoli with the presence of youngster Alex Meret, but with the Serie A side looking to compete on multiple fronts again next season, he is expected to get his chances to impress Ancelotti, who was seemingly impressed enough to push the club to sign the Colombian international on a permanent deal.
Good luck, @D_Ospina1
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) July 4, 2019