According to transfer specialist Steve Kay, Arsenal are not planning to get rid of midfielder Thomas Partey despite numerous rumours linking him with an exit.
Thomas Partey joined from Atletico Madrid in a deal of around €50 million in 2020 but since joining the Premier League the midfielder has become massively injury prone. There have been reports that Mikel Arteta wants to get rid of Partey now that Arsenal have managed to sign Declan Rice.
Clubs like Juventus and Saudi Pro League’s Al-Khaleej have shown an interest in signing the Ghanaian international but as per Kay, Arteta does not want to lose him.
“Despite recent rumours saying that Thomas Partey could leave in the January transfer window, Mikel Arteta has no intention of selling him,” Kay has told Football Insider.
“It has also been rumoured Partey is unhappy with his lack of game time. This, I’m told, is also untrue. There are no plans to sit down and talk about a new deal, however, so the summer may be a different story in regards to him leaving.”
Partey’s contract expires in 2025 and there’s no way Arsenal will offer him a new deal. This clearly suggests that with some big clubs interested in him, it’s very hard to see Mikel Arteta refusing a deal in January.
The Arsenal manager did not want to lose Thomas Partey last summer because Declan Rice was just coming in but now that the England international has properly settled down and with Jorginho as a backup, Arteta can cash in on Partey.
Juventus are looking at Thomas Partey as the replacement for Paul Pogba but as per some rumours, the Old Lady are sceptical because the midfielder is very injury-prone. However, Pogba’s ban is just around the corner so Juve have to bring in someone in January.
Currently, Partey is valued at around €35 million but if a club is willing to pay around €20-25 million, Arsenal won’t have any problems in letting him leave in January. Thomas Partey has played only 251 minutes of league football this season so it makes no sense to hold onto him, especially if a good enough offer comes in.
