According to reports, Arsenal star Thomas Partey is a subject of interest for some of the European giants. Five clubs are in the fight to sign the Ghanaian midfielder in 2025.
The Gunners signed Partey from Atletico Madrid in a deal worth £50m in 2020. He has been a reliable performer for the club since the last 4 years. However, he has struggled with some fitness issues throughout his stint with Arsenal. He has appeared 118 times for the club so far bagging 6 goals and 4 assists.
Partey was dropped down by Arteta last season after a series of injuries. Italian ace Jorginho was starting ahead of him. However, the Ghanaian international have started all the three games this season and also scored against Aston Villa in their 2-0 victory.
While Declan Rice will be suspended for the North-London derby on Sunday against the Spurs, Partey can play a key role in that match. The 31-year-old midfielder will have to defend and mark more areas in the absence of Rice. It will be very important match for the Gunners as they will be desperate to secure all the three points.
European Giants shows interest on Partey
The Ghanaian midfielder has only 12 months left until his contract ends with Arsenal. He is facing an uncertain future at the Emirates right now. No contract extension deal is offered to the player yet.
This situation haven’t got unnoticed in the footballing world. According to CaughtOffiside three European traditional clubs are looking forward to bring Partey in a free transfer. The list includes- former club Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus.
Barcelona have been monitoring Partey for a long time now. After Sergio Busquets departure from the club, they have been lacking in that defensive midfield position. The Catalans tried to replace Busquets with players like Kessie and Romeu but miserably failed. However, they managed to bring out a similar talent like him, Marc Bernal from the La Masia.
Regardless of Bernal’s talent, he is only 17 now. So it will take him 2-3 years of time to start all the matches for them. Partey can be a great option for the Catalan side, as he can start or come off the bench. Even Bernal can learn a lot from the experienced Ghanian midfielder.
However, rival side Atletico Madrid are also in the race to have the former player back in the club. Manager Diego Simeone will love to have Partey back in his squad. He can be a great player coming off the bench or start in league fixtures to avoid workload on other midfielders.
But as of now Italian giants Juventus are a step ahead of both the Spanish clubs. It is reported that ‘the black and whites’ soon could offer a three year contract to the midfielder. New manager Thiago Motta believes they need experience in their defensive areas and Partey can provide that.
Will Partey head to Saudi?
It is reported that two among Saudi big 4’s are also approaching Partey to join them. Neymar’s Al Hilal and fellow African Kessie’s Al Ahli wants to sign him. Both of the clubs held a interest in the Ghanaian since last season.
Considering the fact that Partey is 31 he knows there is not much time left in him. Saudi clubs will obviously offer a higher salary package than the European clubs for him at this stage of his career.
Right now Saudi Pro League is a very competitive league as many footballing icons are there and fighting for the silverware. If a player of Partey’s profile joins any of the two mentioned above, it would create problems for the other clubs in the league.
Partey will definitely consider all the offers and decide what’s best for him. However, it will be interesting to see if Arsenal proposes a deal to him before the contract ends and even if they do will Partey accept it or explore options in Spain and Italy or moves to Saudi.
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