It has been clear for a while now that Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey is Arsenal’s number one target this summer.
The Guardianreported back in April that the Spanish giants had offered to double Partey’s wages in order to fend off interest from the Gunners.The Telegraphrevealed in May that the Ghanaian was open to a move to the Emirates which increased the excitement among Arsenal fans.
It’s been three months since that update and Partey is still an Atletico Madrid player. Arsenal are struggling to meet his £45 million release clause (Telegraph) and they might have to depend on player sales to raise funds to afford him.
That has opened up an opportunity for other clubs to try their luck.La Gazzetta dello Sportreported last week that Italian champions Juventus were looking at Partey and they might move in for him.
That would be a huge blow for Arsenal considering that Juventus can offer Champions League football to the Ghana international, something that Mikel Arteta’s side cannot do next season.
If that wasn’t enough of a scare to Arsenal, it now looks like Atletico Madrid are making moves of their own to try and convince Partey to reject offers from Arsenal or Juventus in this summer’s transfer window.
ATLETICO MADRID’S PROMISE TO PARTEY
Goal’s Charles Wattshas revealed that Diego Simeone’s side cannot meet Partey’s wage demands at the moment. However, Atletico Madrid have promised their star midfielder that they will give him the salary that he is looking for next year if he agrees to stay with them this summer.
That is a fair offer considering that Atleti’s finances, like many clubs across Europe, have been hit hard after everything the world has been through over the last few months.
Partey now has a big choice to make. If Arsenal agree to meet his wage demands straight away, the Ghanaian could be convinced to make the switch to the Emirates, but the Gunners will still have to pay his release clause to force Atletico Madrid to part ways with him.
Arsenal’s record transfer deals
- Nicolas Pepe
£72 million
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
£56 million
- Alexandre Lacazette
£52 million
- Mesut Ozil
£42 million
- Shkodran Mustafi
£35 million
Source: HITC
