As many as five clubs are showing an interest in Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey as he heads towards the end of his contract, CaughtOffside understands.
The Ghana international is currently only focused on the Gunners and the season ahead at the Emirates Stadium, though it seems he’s on the radar of some big names in Europe, including his former club Atletico Madrid.
Barcelona are also considering Partey, while the most concrete interest is understood to be coming from Juventus, who would be ready to offer the 31-year-old a three-year contract, sources close to the situation have told CaughtOffside.
There has been long-standing interest in Partey from Saudi Pro League clubs as well, and he’s still being considered by Al Hilal and Al Ahli, CaughtOffside understands.
Thomas Partey in action for Arsenal
Partey transfer: Experienced Arsenal midfielder surely leaving
While Partey remains a key player for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side, it’s hard to see him being given a new contract for a variety of reasons.
Even if his profile will be hard to replace, Arsenal do have other options in midfield, and probably won’t be too keen to keep paying the injury-prone Partey for a few more years.
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The former Atletico man has almost always been a top performer for Arsenal when available, but his injury record isn’t the best, and so it would probably be unwise of the club to rely on him for too much longer when they could probably look to bring in someone younger instead.
Mikel Merino joined AFC this summer and should give Arteta another useful option in midfield, while Declan Rice could perhaps also move into a more defensive role than he’s played so far, having adapted his game to playing more like a number 8 due to Partey largely being the first choice in that number 6 position in front of the defence.
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