Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is not going anywhere and is focused on playing for the Gunners, as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
Recent reports from Italy suggested that Juventus could be looking for a potential replacement for Paul Pogba who faces a lengthy doping ban.
The Serie A giants showed interest in signing Partey in the summer transfer window, but they were unable to meet Arsenal’s asking price, thought to be in the region of €50m.
If Pogba’s situation doesn’t change, the Old Lady could rekindle their interest in Partey. The Frenchman is staring at a lengthy ban, and Juventus may need to replace him at some point.
Still, Romano thinks that there is a little chance of Partey moving to Italy in January. The Ghana international is a key player for Mikel Arteta’s side, and the Spaniard probably won’t let him go during the middle of the season.
“The big news in Italy at the moment is about Paul Pogba – he has been officially suspended. Juventus will now decide how to act on this situation because it’s crucial for them to understand what really happened after this big decision from the Italian anti-doping tribunal,” said Romano to Caughtoffside.
“If this is confirmed, it will be important to see what happens in terms of Pogba’s contract. Some in Italy are already reporting on a potential contract termination, but let’s see what happens. For sure, it’s been a very unlucky second spell for Pogba at Juventus, with many injuries and almost never playing and now this situation with the anti-doping tribunal.
“The Pogba situation means we’re again seeing rumours about Thomas Partey and Juventus, but there was no chance this summer. He was on Juventus’ list but it was impossible for them to pay €45/50m. Arsenal also didn’t want to sell him after considering this possibility just at the beginning of the window.
“It’s very quiet now, despite these new links, and Thomas is focused on Arsenal.”
During the summer window, Arsenal did ponder over selling Partey. After signing Declan Rice from West Ham, it felt like the club could be willing to offload him if the price is right.
However, in the end, they decided against it, with Arteta even hailing him as a super important player for his side. The arrival of Rice hasn’t affected his game, and it looks like he is going to play a major role going forward.
The 30-year-old was also chased by Saudi clubs but he has stayed on. He still has got two years left on his current £200k-per-week deal, and the Gunners are under no pressure to sell him.
