Arsenal remain locked in talks to sign Thomas Partey and are the firm favourites to land the Atletico Madrid midfielder this summer.
Mikel Arteta has been busy revamping his squad in the transfer market after Arsenal finish way down in eighth position in the Premier League table last season – their worst result in over 25 years.
The Gunners have signed Brazilian attacker Willian on a free transfer after he left Chelsea while Arteta has made efforts to tighten his defence. Highly-rated centre-back Gabriel has been signed in a £27m deal from Lille and he could form a new-look partnership alongside William Saliba after he arrived from Saint-Etienne.
Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares have also made their loan moves permanent so Arsenal have brought in four defenders and they are being tipped to sign another left-back too so Arteta is doing his bit to sort out his leaky back-line.
However, the one area Arsenal desperately need to strengthen is central midfield and Thomas Partey is Arteta’s prime transfer target. Negotiations with Atletico Madrid have been on-going for months but a deal is yet to be agreed.
Arsenal have been attempting to offer the likes of Matteo Guendouzi and Alexandre Lacazette in part exchange for Partey with the Gunners valuing the player at around £30m but Atletico are demanding the full value of his £45m release clause.
Jul 28, 2018; Miami, FL, USA; A general view during the first half of an International Champions Cup soccer match between the Manchester City and the Bayern Munich at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Arsenal odds-on favourites
Despite the two clubs being well apart in their valuations, Arsenal are still priced as the 2/5 odds-on favourites to sign Partey this summer according to the latest odds at a new betting site who’s running a book on the proposed transfer.
Juventus have shown an interest in the Ghana international and are 7/1 second favourites while Paris Saint-Germain’s name has been thrown into the ring recently so their priced at 8/1 but the bookmakers clearly see Arsenal as being in pole position to secure a deal.
Atletico have lined-up Espanyol’s Marc Roca as a replacement so they’re already planning for Partey’s departure and an agreement is expected to be reached with Arsenal over the coming weeks before the transfer window closes on October 5th.
If Arteta can get this deal over the line, the 27-year-old would be an excellent addition to Arsenal’s squad as he’d add some much needed steal to their midfield – which has been lightweight for several seasons.
Partey is a superb all-round player who will fit in well with Arsenal’s passing style but his powerful presence in the middle of the park is something the Gunners have lacked in recent years so this could be a key signing for the north Londoners.
