Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya recently claimed he would like to play in Spain during an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has made it clear he plans to keep goalkeeper David Raya for the foreseeable future on the back of the goalkeeper's claim that he would like to test himself in Spain, one day.

Speaking in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, the La Roja international shot-stopper was asked whether he had any ambition to play in La Liga having spent his entire professional career in England.

Raya explained: "Yes, I would love to. I would love to try out La Liga. For now, I'm very happy here [at Arsenal], but I would certainly like to experience the Spanish league.

"I think it's a very competitive league. Perhaps, in the future, I could play for a Spanish club. I'm Spanish and I'd love to play there, that's for sure."

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The former Brentford No.1 was born in Catalonia but moved to Lancashire with Blackburn Rovers on scholarship terms at the age of 16.

He went onto play 98 times for Rovers' first-team following a loan spell with Non-League outfit Southport before later signing for the Bees in 2019.

When quizzed on Raya's comments, Arteta was firm when issuing a light-hearted reply, stating: "I think David has to play in Spain at some point, on the beach with his friends in the summer but for the next few years he needs to play here for Arsenal."

Raya is under contract with Arsenal until 2028 and his excellent performances helped fire the Gunners to their first Premier League title in 22 years last season.

He remains an integral player in north London having successfully ousted Aaron Ramsdale to the No.1 shirt following his £27million transfer - an initial loan that became permanent - from Brentford.

On Monday, Raya is expected to attend the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London after been nominated for the Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper Award).

While he did not play, he was part of Spain's World Cup-winning squad in North America and on top of Premier League title glory, also helped Arsenal reach the Champions League final in Budapest last season.

Speaking to Beyond The Box Podcast, the 31-year-old recently hailed Blackburn goalkeeping coach John Keeley for taking a chance on him and allowing him to fulfil his dream as a top-level goalkeeper.

“I don’t know what, but he saw something in me since the first day,” Raya explained. “He took me to Portugal with the first team when I was 17, for no reason. I think he saw something in me that not all the people saw.

“He put a lot of work into me, and he was one of the reasons I went on loan, why I made my debut, why I started the following season as number one. He believed in me and I always have a lot to thank him for. Without him, I don’t think I would have made my debut.”