ARSENAL STAR THOMAS PARTEY MAKES TRANSFER DECISION AFTER BARCELONA APPROACH
Thomas Partey has indicated to Arsenal he is willing to reject big-money offers to leave the club and sign a new contract at the Emirates Stadium.
Partey, 31, has entered the final two months of his current deal with Arsenal, the club he joined back in 2020.
As things stand, the Ghana international will become a free agent on July 1 and be able to join another club on a free transfer with a potentially significant signing-on bonus.
Contract negotiations have been ongoing throughout the season and Mikel Arteta is keen for Partey to extend his spell in north London.
Partey has enjoyed arguably his best season for the Gunners, highlighted by the concern that was raised by Arsenal fans after he was suspended for their Champions League semi-final first leg against PSG.
Get personalised updates on Arsenal everyday
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have expressed interest in signing Partey, while clubs in Saudi Arabia are reportedly ready to pay huge money to secure his signature this summer.
But the Evening Standard say Partey has decided to stay at Arsenal and even wants to sign a contract extension before the Premier League finale against Southampton on May 25.
Partey is settled in north London and understandably believes trophies are just around the corner for Arsenal.
Arteta’s side are on course for a third successive second-place finish in the Premier League while they reached the last-four of the Champions League, knocking out Real Madrid in a statement victory before losing to PSG.
Several Arsenal players are said to be confident of securing silverware next season if a proven goalscorer arrives through the doors this summer.
What Mikel Arteta has said about Thomas Partey's future at Arsenal
Asked whether there had been any progress in talks over a new deal for Thomas Partey, Mikel Arteta said last month: ‘Yes, there is progress with all the players.
‘I’ll leave that to [sporting director] Andrea [Berta] and the club to decide and to talk about.
Pushed on whether the intention is to keep Partey, Arteta continued: ‘The intention is very clear. I’ll leave that to Andrea and the club to take a step forward.’
The Gunners have expressed interest in the likes of Alexander Isak, Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres and Liam Delap.
Arteta will also bolster his midfield options with the £51m signing of Spain international Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.
Zubimendi’s arrival is not expected to overly effect Partey’s role in the team given Arsenal will be losing another midfielder this summer in Jorginho.
Earlier this month, Arsenal’s Declan Rice heaped praise on Partey and stressed his importance to the team.
‘The best thing about playing with Thomas [Partey] is the calmness he brings to play with the team,’ Rice said.
‘Before I came to Arsenal there was so much talk about how good he is. He doesn’t always get the recognition he deserves. I feel quite lucky that Thomas is there and he lets me roam up and down.’
Partey has made 164 appearances for Arsenal since joining the club in 2020 in a £45m deal from Atletico Madrid.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
2025-05-14T11:16:36Z