Fabrizio Romano issues verdict on Arsenal's contract dilemma amid La Liga 'interest'

As things stand, Partey’s deal is up at the end of the season, making him eligible to agree a pre-contract agreement with any club outside of England from January 1. The only way Arsenal can prevent that is by agreeing a sale in January, or agreeing a new contract.

There have been rumours of interest from Partey’s former club Atletico Madrid and another La Liga giant in Barcelona, and if there are interested clubs, the midfielder is likely to be offered a two-year deal. That could cause a headache for the Gunners, who may only be willing to offer a one-year extension if they offer one at all, given their midfield depth with Merino and Ethan Nwaneri and Partey’s age.

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According to transfer ‘insider’ Fabrizio Romano, though, talk of interest from elsewhere has not materialised just yet, but contract talks are equally absent. “Another player I expect to stay at his club at least until the end of the season is Thomas Partey,” he told CaughtOffside.

“There are no movements planned for January. For the summer, we will see; no decision has been made yet on his contract situation, but I’m not aware of any contact with Atletico or Barca for the January window.”