Atletico Madrid have offered midfielder Thomas Partey a fresh long-term contract as they seek to fend off the interest from Premier League side Arsenal, The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano has reported.
The Ghana international made his first-team debut for Atletico during the 2015/16 season and he has since made 174 appearances for the club across all competitions.
He is now regarded as an undisputed starter in the holding midfield position under manager Diego Simeone and Fabrizio has revealed that Atletico are eager to extend his contract.
At present, Partey has a £43.5m release clause in his existing deal and it is understood that the Gunners are looking at the possibility of triggering the figure in order to lure him to the Emirates Stadium.
However, Simeone’s side are keen to avoid the situation and they are prepared to hand Partey a two-year extension on his current deal (expiring in June 2023) while doubling his £65,000 a week salary.
On top of this, the Madrid giants will also seek to increase the release clause to more than €100m (£87.2m) which would surely put the Gunners off from making an approach.
The north London side have regularly utilised Granit Xhaka as the holding midfielder and the Swiss’ performances have definitely improved with Arteta taking charge of the club in December last year.
Still, the former Gunners captain does lack the pace and mobility when tracking back and that is something Partey would offer, suppose he makes the move to the club.
As things stand, it appears that Atletico are in a good position to extend his stay and the Gunners may need to look elsewhere or depend on their existing midfield options next term.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com
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