€50m star tells Arsenal he wants January transfer against Arteta's will

Robin Bairner

8 Nov 2023 06:52 GMT
3 min read

Mikael Arteta, Arsenal, 2023/24 — © ProShots

Thomas Partey has told Arsenal that he wants to leave the club in the January transfer window, with Juventus one of the sides linked with him.

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The 30-year-old was linked with a move away from the club during the summer but started the first three Premier League matches of the season before sustaining a groin injury.

Partey, though, was used as right-back and since the end of August has managed only 15 minutes of football for Mikel Arteta’s side, featuring as a cameo in the 1-0 win over Manchester City during October.

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Clubs from the Saudi Pro League were reportedly looking at the Ghana international in the summer, but according to Tutto Mercato, his aim is currently to stay in Europe.

Juventus have shown a concrete interest in the player but it is claimed by the Italian source that he ideally wants more options from the Premier League or LaLiga.

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Will Arsenal sell Partey?

FootballTransfers exclusively revealed last week that although there has been interest in Partey, Arteta has no interest in selling the midfielder, who was signed for a fee of €50 million from Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2020.

There are, however, no plans to open contract talks with the player, whose deal is up in 2025, hinting that Arsenal are planning to move him on in the summer and perhaps even opening the door to the possibility of a move in January – especially if Partey is ready to get vocal about his unsettled future at the Emirates Stadium.

Juventus are in the market for a defensive midfield position, so he certainly fits the bill.

Arsenal could hope to recoup in the region of €19m for Partey, according to FootballTransfers’ Player Valuation Model, which is calculated using hundreds of in-game data points.

Whether Arteta is willing to sell at that price, however, remains to be seen.