Aaron Ramsdale left out of Sheffield United squad to face West Brom after move to Arsenal agreed in principle

As The Star revealed yesterday, Arsenal have agreed to pay around £24m for the young England goalkeeper, rising to the £30m mark if a number of clauses are met.

United initially held out for £40m for the stopper, but were brought back to the negotiating table after Ramsdale declared he wanted the opportunity to speak to officials at the Emirates Stadium.

Michael Verrips starts at the Hawthorns tonight in his place, with Wes Foderingham on the bench. But with less than two weeks before the closure of the transfer window, manager Slavisa Jokanović is expected to push for a replacement for Ramsdale to be signed.

“I will be disappointed if he leaves, Aaron, of course I will,” Jokanovic said in his pre-match press conference yesterday.

“But this is a realistic situation. Arsenal push and I pull from a different side. This is part of the game and part of our work.

“They have more tools than me right now, because they are in the Premier League and they can pay more than me. But also, right now, I am thinking of him as a Sheffield United player.”

Roma’s Robin Olsen, who has been capped 48 times by Sweden, and Seny Dieng, of Queens Park Rangers, have both been linked with United. But Mark Warburton, the QPR boss, warned earlier this week that Dieng will not be allowed to leave on the cheap, after being linked with a £6m move away.