Atlético Madrid are ‘confident’ that midfielder Thomas Partey will be with them next season but believe Arsenal will be a ‘threat’ to that until the end of the transfer window.
The Gunners have been heavily linked to the Ghanaian midfielder for several months, with manager Mikel Arteta believed to be a big fan.
However, they are yet to push ahead with a move as Atlético are demanding that his €50m release clause be met to sanction a deal, and Arsenal simply don’t have the funds.
That has seen the rumour die down in recent weeks, with Arsenal instead turning their focus to shifting players out of the Emirates to raise funds for further purchases.
They say that Atlético are confident they won’t lose Thomas but are wary that Arsenal and Inter Milan are still hovering and thinking about a bid.
In terms of the Gunners, they state that Arteta ‘loves’ the midfielder and so they are not ‘throwing in the towel’ at the Emirates and have put players on the transfer list to raise the funds to match his release clause.
That’s what the Spanish side want, and they will not sanction a deal for anything less, despite the fact Partey has rejected a contract renewal.
The key, though, is that he ‘will not force to leave’ so Atlético are calm about the situation, knowing they can continue to demand the clause be met.
They do, however, ‘understand that the threat will be present’ until the end of the transfer window, suggesting this transfer rumour has a while left to run.
