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Thomas Partey set for a big-money move to the Emirates Stadium?

By on May 24, 2020

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is expected to be busy in the transfer market this summer as he continues to overhaul the squad he inherited from Unai Emery when he took over at the Emirates Stadium back in December.

A central defender and versatile full-back should be on the agenda as our defence has been woeful once again this season while Arsenal will need to bring in another forward should Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang or Alexandre Lacazette leave.

However, arguably the most important new addition we need to make is a dominant central midfielder. Arsenal have had a soft centre for many years and even the arrival of Lucas Torreira last summer hasn’t solved our problems in midfield. The Uruguayan made an impressive start to life in north London but started to struggle with the pace of the Premier League during the second half of the campaign.

Granit Xhaka has proven himself to be a liability too often and it doesn’t look like Dani Ceballos will make his loan move from Real Madrid permanent. Therefore, Arteta desperately needs to sign a commanding presence in midfield and Thomas Partey has been identified as his number one target. So could we see the Atletico Madrid midfielder turning out for Arsenal at English football stadiums up and down the country next season?

Expensive 

Partey has been a key player in Diego Simeone’s side in recent years and there is no doubt he’d be an excellent signing for Arsenal. However, such a talent doesn’t come cheap and Partey’s release clause is set at £45m.

With football facing a financial crisis, money is going to be tight at Arsenal this summer so we may struggle to match that figure unless Arteta can generate funds from player sales or we can persuade Atletico to do a deal.

There has been talk of a potential swap deal involving Lacazette as Atletico are keen on the Frenchman but that would leave Arsenal needing to splash out on a new striker and top forwards don’t come cheap either these days.

So it looks like Arsenal may need to rely on tough negotiations with Atletico to reduce the price and we’ve been given a boost as Partey has reportedly made it clear he would like to move to the Emirates Stadium if a deal is agreed. That should give us some weight during negotiations.

Atletico aren’t exactly flush with cash right now either and Spanish clubs are under huge pressure to cut costs due to the threat of missing out on TV revenue so there is a chance Arsenal will be able to strike a deal at below Partey’s £45m release clause.

The Ghana international would add some much needed quality in the middle of the park and he could be one of our most important signings of recent years should Arsenal succeed in luring him to London this summer.