Arsenal prepared to sell star but transfer could be complicated by player’s preference

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey could be made available this summer, though one complication could be that his preference is to stay at the Emirates Stadium, according to Charles Watts via the Daily Briefing.

The Gunners will surely look to revamp their midfield this summer and replacing an ageing and injury-prone player like Partey surely makes sense as a priority, even if the Ghana international has been a pretty solid performer for the club since joining from Atletico Madrid a few years ago.

At his peak, Partey was undoubtedly an automatic starter for Arsenal, but it now seems like the north London giants could do well to make some changes in that area of the pitch, and it’s not too surprising that Mikel Arteta would be prepared to offload Partey.

Still, Watts reports that it’s not clear if this will definitely happen as the 30-year-old is happy and settled where he is, so we’ll have to see if the situation changes enough in the coming weeks for some kind of breakthrough.

Partey transfer: Update on Arsenal midfielder’s future

Discussing the Partey situation, Watts said: “Unlike several other key players in the Arsenal squad, there have been no talks about a contract extension with the 30-year-old over the past 12 months and there is a belief that the club will look to move him on this summer.

“But sources have confirmed that Partey’s desire is to remain with the Gunners and build on the performances he produced over the final weeks of the 2023/24 campaign when he finally returned to full fitness.”

He added: “Mikel Arteta is keen to add a new midfielder to his squad this summer, however, and the Gunners are expected to be open to offers for Partey once again, despite his desire to stay for the final year of his contract.”

Arsenal fans will no doubt just hope this can be resolved quickly as a sale could be important to help the club find and afford a suitable replacement.