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Napoli seal deadline-day capture of Ospina from Arsenal

JUAN MABROMATA / AFP / Getty

It's taken until the final day, but Napoli have finally secured some insurance between the posts.

Ahead of the Serie A transfer window closure on Friday, the Partenopei sealed a loan deal for Arsenal's surplus stopper David Ospina, the English club announced.

According to the Evening Standard's James Olley, the Campanian club have paid an initial ā‚¬1 million to sign the Colombia No. 1 for the upcoming season, and hold the option to make the deal permanent for an additional ā‚¬4 million next summer.

Carlo Ancelotti's side had been in the market for a new 'keeper after Alex Meret suffered a broken arm just days after arriving at Stadio San Paolo from Udinese earlier this summer.

Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis previously explained that Ospina, who managed a total of just 11 Premier League appearances for Arsenal over the last three seasons, was one of a handful of targets the club looked at. That group also included Liverpool's Simon Mignolet.

Ospina, already firmly consigned to backup status behind Petr Cech, slipped further down the pecking order this summer thanks to the arrival of Bernd Leno from German side Bayer Leverkusen.

The 29-year-old Ospina registered 27 clean sheets in his 70 Arsenal appearances. He also played in all four of Colombia's games at the World Cup this summer and conceded just three goals outside of penalty shootouts, two of which came from the spot.

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