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Arsenal launch £43m bid to sign La Liga star as Arteta closes-in on key signing
According to reports in Italy via the Daily Mail, Arsenal have launched a £43.5m bid to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey as Mikel Arteta looks to overhaul his squad this summer.
The boss knows the squad needs to be strengthen in several areas if Arsenal are to be competing at the top end of the table again any time soon and central midfield has been an area of concern for a while.
Granit Xhaka has improved since Arteta arrived but he’s still a liability at times and we desperately need an upgrade while Matteo Guendouzi is still young with much to learn so he can’t be relied upon just yet.
Lucas Torreira showed early promise when he arrived but he’s not really kicked on to become the vital holding midfielder we hoped for while it remains to be seen whether Dani Ceballos will make his loan move from Real Madrid permanent.
Therefore, a new midfield general is needed this summer and the Daily Mail cites a report from the newspaper version of Corriere dello Sport that claims Arsenal are closing-in on a deal for the Partey.
The Italian newspaper says we’ve got a £43.5m bid on the table – which meets his release clause – and Partey is supposedly ‘one step away’ from moving to the Emirates Stadium this summer.
However, Diego Simeone isn’t going to let the 26-year-old leave without a fight as the report says Atletico Madrid are desperate to tie the Ghanaian down to a new long-term contract that would see his release clause increase significantly.
Partey has been at the Wanda Metropolitano since joining their youth ranks in 2012 and he’s been a key player under Simeone having made 35 appearances in all competitions this season alone so it won’t be easy to lure him away.
Obviously Partey would be an excellent addition to the Arsenal squad if we could get a deal done but I personally don’t think we have a chance if we can’t offer him Champions League football next season.
Arsenal currently sit ninth in the Premier League table – 8 points off the top four – and we’re out of Europe so it’s going to be extremely difficult to qualify for the Champions League. Without elite European football, I just don’t see Partey leaving Madrid this summer.
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