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The Gunners want to bring in the Ghana international but are currently unable to activate their £ 44.5 million release clause.
Thomas Partey is interested in moving to Arsenal, but the Gunners’ hopes of landing the midfielder in this window will hinge on the club’s ability to move players in the coming weeks.
The Ghana international has long been the North London club’s priority catch this summer, but talks with Atletico Madrid have so far been unsuccessful.
Madrid do not want to lose Partey and are still waiting to convince him to sign a new contract. His current agreement runs through 2023 and there has been talk of extending his stay.
The financial implications brought on by the coronavirus pandemic have, however, meant that Atlético has not been able to offer him the size of the deal they had initially planned. Instead, they have given the player assurances that a substantial raise will be given once the club is on a more secure financial footing within a year.
Arsenal remain very interested in Partey, however, and sources have confirmed that objective that the player is interested in moving to North London, provided that an agreement can be reached between the two clubs.
The Gunners have been trying to tempt Atlético into a trade deal involving cash and Matteo Guendouzi, but the La Liga team insists that the only way Partey will leave this summer is if Arsenal activates its release clause from £ 44.5 million ($ 60 million).
As it stands, Arsenal have made it clear that they are not in a position to do so, as the club has turned its attention to completing the signing of center-back Gabriel from Lille, who will join in a £ 25 million ($ 33 Million) agreement.
Partey, meanwhile, is happy to wait to see how things progress in the weeks ahead. Although he is interested in a change to the Premier League and is likely to move to Arsenal if an agreement is reached between the two clubs, he will not seek to leave Atlético by force.
Arteta is well aware of the need to improve his options in midfield and will soon be boosted by the return of Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid, who is close to signing on loan for the second consecutive season.
But Partey is a player who has long been identified as someone who could come in and give Arsenal the kind of quality and aggression that they have lacked in the middle of the park.
Former head of international recruiting Francis Cagigao and his network of scouts have watched the player closely for the past 18 months and, prior to his surprising departure last month, had advised the north London club to move on.
There were initial discussions about a move for Partey last summer while Unai Emery was still in charge, but it never materialized into a firm offer. However, Arsenal have maintained their interest and still hope to close a deal before the transfer window closes on October 6.
Those hopes will rise significantly if they can move players around over the next several weeks to raise some additional funds and free up space on the salary bill. Henrikh Mkhitaryan left for Roma on Monday and the Armenian international ended his contract a year earlier.
Although that meant Arsenal did not receive a fee for the 31-year-old, it took him off the salary account, allowing the Gunners to save around £ 9 million ($ 12 million) over the course of the next season.
Arsenal now hope to find a buyer for Matteo Guendouzi, who has been linked to Valencia in recent days, while Lucas Torreira could return to Italy soon, with several Serie A teams interested in the Uruguayan international.
Mohamed Elneny is another player who would be allowed to leave, along with Sokratis, Shkodran Mustafi, Sead Kolasinac, Calum Chambers and Mesut Ozil.
Talks about the future of Alexandre Lacazette, who returned to London Colney on Monday, are also expected to take place over the next fortnight, with Atlético de Madrid interested in the French forward, who now has less than two years left in his career. current contract.
Meanwhile, there is significant interest in Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Emiliano Martinez, who starred in Saturday’s Community Shield win against Liverpool, but Arsenal are reluctant to lose either player and would rather try to move other team members. First.
It is accepted, however, that funds must be raised to add more additions to the captures of William and Gabriel and the imminent arrival of Ceballos on loan.
The signing of Partey remains a priority. What happens in terms of spending over the next few weeks will be key in determining whether that interest can be followed by the north London club.
