Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is almost certain to leave at the end of the season and TEAMtalk can reveal a replacement target on the Gunners’ shortlist.
The Ghanaian international has entered the final 10 months of his contract and Arsenal are unlikely to offer him an extension – meaning he’ll be available on a free transfer next summer.
We understand that Turkish giants Galatasaray and Fenerbahce are keeping close tabs on Partey’s situation, along with clubs from the Saudi Pro League.
The Saudi Public Investment Fund’s chief negotiators have been in contact with Partey’s representatives since June. They have already discussed personal terms and new contacts are expected soon.
The PIF’s ‘plan,’ per TEAMtalk sources, is to agree a pre-contract deal with the 31-year-old in January so they ensure they win the race for his services.
Juventus have also shown interest in Partey. The Serie A side made several midfield signings over the summer, bringing in Douglas Luiz, Khepren Thuram and Teun Koopmeiners.
Their new additions, coupled with the fact that Manuel Locatelli is in a superb run of form, means that Juve’s interest in Partey has cooled, making Saudi Arabia or Turkey his most likely destinations.
Arsenal eye Liverpool target to replace Partey
Arsenal’s sporting director Edu has already began scouring the market for potential replacements for Partey.
We can confirm that Youssouf Fofana was targeted by Arsenal over the summer but his desire to join AC Milan ultimately saw the Gunners miss out on him.
Arsenal also showed a tentative interest in Adrien Rabiot but decided against a swoop for the former Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain star due to his high wage demands.
Roberto de Zerbi’s Marseille ultimately won the race for Rabiot after they offered him a lucrative deal, despite the then-free agent’s preference being to move to the Premier League.
TEAMtalk understands that Arsenal are admirers of Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, who snubbed a move to Liverpool over the summer.
Reports suggest that Zubimendi now regrets not joining Liverpool amid Sociedad’s poor run of form. The Merseyside club could come in again for the Spaniard but sources say that Arsenal are ‘attentive’ to his situation.
Zubimendi has a €60m (£50.5m, $66.9m) release clause in his contract which Liverpool had previously agreed to pay, so Arsenal would have to stump up that fee to bring him in.
Tomiyasu targeted by Inter; Arsenal plot striker swoop
Arsenal could see some players leave in January. Reports suggest that Takehiro Tomiyasu, who is one of Mikel Arteta’s ‘favourites,’ has been made Inter Milan’s number one target for the winter window.
Arteta has reportedly ‘accepted he might lose the player mid-season.’ Tomiyasu is a valuable utility man but with Ben White, William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes all guaranteed starters across the backline, left-back is his best route to regular minutes.
However, Jurrien Timber has nailed down his spot in the position and therefore a switch to Inter in January could be the best thing for Tomiyasu’s career. The Gunners will demand at least £25m for his signature.
Arsenal are also considering a big-money move for a new striker this winter as the North Londoners look to bring in a top talisman to rival Manchester City’s Erling Haaland.
Whether the Gunners swoop for a new front man will likely depend on the form of Kai Havertz over the next few months.
Injury-plagued Partey is on the way out
Partey signed for Arsenal from Atletico Madrid and has played a key role in their progress under Arteta.
The midfielder has made a total of 116 appearances for the Gunners, netting six goals and making four assists in the process.
Partey has started all four of Arsenal’s Premier League matches so far this season and scored in their impressive 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
But the Ghanaian has suffered with various injury ailments over the past few years which has limited his impact on the pitch.
Partey was ruled out of 34 games last season due to hamstring and groin injuries and that is part of the reason why Arsenal are reluctant to offer him a new deal.
Partey is likely to be followed out of the exit door by fellow midfielder Jorginho, whose contract is also set to expire next summer.
Arsenal do, however, have the option to extend Jorginho’s contract by another year – but they don’t with Partey. As a result, everything points towards him leaving as a free agent.
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