Arsenal still retain hope that a deal for Thomas Partey could be finalised this summer after a report maintained their chances of a transfer were very much still alive.
Mikel Arteta is overseeing his first summer transfer window in charge at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners boss has already been busy – bringing in Willian with Gabriel Magalhaes following on Tuesday. The club have also already confirmed permanent deals for Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari.
Alongside Lille defender Gabriel, the man at the top of their wanted list is Atletico midfielder Partey.
Partey has three years left on his contract, but Atletico cannot stand in his way if another club activates his €50m release clause.
However, that price appears out of Arsenal’s price range. In fact the Gunners have tried to get creative to bring the price down. Indeed, previous reports have suggested they have rejected offers from Arsenal that had used players as counterparts to reduce the cost.
With Atletico holding out for a cash sale only and the player’s exit clause, a report last week claimed Arsenal had withdrawn their interest.
However, Goal are adamant that Arsenal are still ‘actively pursuing’ a deal for Partey.
Furthermore, they state Arteta’s chances of landing Partey are not over and that two factors remain in their favour.
Firstly, finances at Atletico Madrid remain tight in the wake of the global economic downturn. While Partey remains an important member of Diego Simeone’s plans, Atleti could be forced to cash in in order to conduct business of their own.
Atletico are said to be interested in Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette. As such, a swap deal between the pair does not look out the question. Atletico have already offered Arsenal their pick of two players, though that is yet to tempt the Gunners.
Furthermore, and perhaps key to Arsenal’s chances, Goal reports Partey remains focused on a move to Arsenal. While he has not publicly come out and said he wants to move to north London, the outlet are adamant he wants to make the move.
They state Partey is happy to wait to see how things progress over the coming weeks. While he won’t force the issue, he remains ‘hopeful’ a deal can still be struck between the two clubs.
Ozil has mega offer to quit Arsenal
Arsenal’s finances could be helped should their bid to offload Mesut Ozil prove successful.
As per reports Ozil has been approached by Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Nassr.
The Riyadh-based side want to sign Ozil this summer, but are willing to wait to sign him for free next summer if a transfer fee cannot be agreed.
The mammoth offer equates to around £288,000 a week before tax.
Ozil was left out of the squad for the Community Shield win over Liverpool at the weekend. He has not featured for the club since the return of football after the coronavirus break.
Read more on the approach here….
The post Arsenal still lurking as two key factors keep Thomas Partey transfer hopes alive appeared first on teamtalk.com.