Atletico Madrid may be ready to soften their stance on Thomas Partey as the club moves closer to signing Marc Roca. The Spanish giants have been incredibly firm with the Gunners that the Ghanian is simply not for sale.
Arsenal have already made two bids for the box-to-box midfielder and both have been swept away by Atletico.
Mikel Arteta tried to include Matteo Guendouzi in the Atletico deal not interested in exchanges or price negotiations.
Instead they told Arsenal that the only way they can sign Partey is if they pay his £ 45m release clause.
Partey is stalled on a new contract that has been on the table for several months.
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His team, Espanyol, failed to beat the decline though last season and now looks ready to leave the club.
Atletico are in talks with Espanyol and have a good relationship with the Catalan club having signed Mario Hermoso last summer.
Partey remains a key figure under Diego Simeone, despite being benched for the Champions League quarter-final exit at the hands of RB Leipzig.
As things stand, however, he looks set to stay with Arsenal unwilling to shell out £ 45m for his signing.
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Former Tottenham right-back Kieran Trippier doesn’t want to see his current team-mate switch to his former rivals.
Trippier told The Beautiful Game podcast: “I had seen him play for Atletico but I didn’t realize how good he was. It’s incredible, his physicality, how he interrupts the game. Technically, it has it all.
“He’s one of the best midfielders I’ve played with, but Mousa is Mousa, he’s on another planet. Even in training it is only in the cruise control.
“Ask anyone who has played with him and they will say Mousa Dembele. That’s how good he was. It was scary. But Thomas is still very young and everyone loves him here.
“Going to the Premier League … who knows? Obviously I want him to stay here because he is a valuable member of our team. But it seems to me that you speak perfect English. I don’t think he would have any problems with the Premier League. “
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