Arsenal have been in direct contact with a £102 million midfielder as they target potential replacements for Thomas Partey, who is widely expected to leave after four years at the Emirates Stadium.
Partey tipped for Arsenal exit this summer
The Ghanaian is viewed by supporters and critics alike as a faithful servant to the club.
£109,000-per-week star may have played last game for Arsenal with exit approved
Mikel Arteta is now against keeping him at the club.
ByEmilio Galantini
Signed from Atletico Madrid for around £45 million in 2020, Partey has gone on to amass 115 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions, playing a particularly important role during their 2022/2023 Premier League title challenge.
However, last season, a combination of injury problems and falling down the pecking order resulted in the 30-year-old making just 14 league appearances. Partey has also entered the final 12 months of his contract at Arsenal, meaning sporting director Edu Gaspar will have to sell this summer for the greatest return on a potential transfer.
Appearances
115
Goals
5
Assists
4
Bookings
24
Red cards
1
Minutes played
7,794
The £200,000-per-week midfielder is attracting interest from abroad. Indeed, Partey has been subject to a potential offer from Saudi Arabia, and it is rumoured that Turkish Super Lig sides are keeping a watchful eye on his situation as well.
Fabrizio Romano says Partey is set to leave Arsenal in the next transfer window, so attention will turn to who Mikel Arteta will bring in to replace him. Arsenal are targeting Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi as one option, with Edu also monitoring Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz.
Both are likely to cost a premium, at least £50 million-plus, with Zubimendi's release clause standing at around £52 million. While this could be a draw for the north Londoners, reports suggest Zubimendi has shown no desire to leave Sociedad – making a deal pretty difficult.
Villa are also pretty unlikely to entertain a deal for their talismanic midfield star Luiz, who bagged 10 goals and 10 assists for Unai Emery in all competitions last season on their road to the Champions League.
Arsenal in direct contact with Benfica star Joao Neves
Now, as per HITC and journalist Graeme Bailey, it is believed they've tested the waters over Benfica star Joao Neves as an alternative, with his agents looking to open up offers for him to depart.
The 19-year-old starlet made 33 Primeira Liga appearances for Benfica last season, scoring three goals and registering an assist in that time. According to WhoScored, Neves stood out as one of their best performers going by average match rating per 90, with only Ángel Di María and Rafa managing a higher number than the teenager.
HITC claim Arsenal have been in direct contact with Neves over joining them this summer, but there's a pretty roadblock in the way. His release clause stands at around £102 million, a figure which Edu and co are unwilling to pay as things stand, with Liverpool and Man United adopting the same stance.
Unless things change in this regard, Neves looks set to remain in Portugal.