To get some cash flowing in for them to use by the next transfer window, Atletico Madrid is reportedly ready to deal away Thomas Partey to interested clubs. But of all the clubs who have vested interest in the Ghanaian football player, it is the Arsenal Gunners who have been aggressively pursuing Partey.
To complete the deal, Atletico Madrid is seeking roughly $56.7 million for Partey. The asked amount is already considered a bargain, something that Arsenal would be foolish to pass off on. Mikel Arteta needs to address this as soon as possible or risk losing Partey to other teams. The problem the Gunners may be encountering right now is that they don’t have the budget to consummate the deal. Hence, they will need to sell off some players to acquire the 27-year-old midfielder.
Atletico is aware that they don’t have much bargaining power by the next transfer window due to the lack of funds. Partey was singled out at the guy that would bring in bigger money. Aside from that, Los Indios is already overloaded with midfielders. It should however be noted that Partey has shown no indications of wanting to leave the Spanish club. Unfortunately, that may no longer be up to him once Arsenal or some other club can raise the transfer fee Atletico is seeking.
A bit of a reprieve for Arteta is that Atletico is willing to lower their asking fee. There was no indication of how low Atletico would go. Regardless, they are no expected to get lowballed for the Ghanaian player. If talks do not prosper, Arsenal may lose out on Partey – especially if some other team enters the picture and agrees to a better asking fee for the midfielder.
But Arsenal remains the logical place for Partey. The father of Thomas Partey, Jacob, reached out to his son to verify if the transfer rumors to the Gunners is true. Thomas confirmed that talks are indeed going and the elder Partey is eager to see the deal go down.
“I have called my son and he told me the truth but Athletico Madrid is now discussion the move," Jacob Partey said. “I will be happy if my son joins Arsenal but what is needed is how his current club is going to release him," he added.
Partey was being eyed as a replacement to some Arsenal players likely on their way out. The players seen exiting after this season are Granit Xhaka and Lucas Toreira. Nothing is certain for now and Arteta may be waiting to see if Xhaka, Toreira or some other players plan to leave Emirates Stadium after this season.
