Chelsea could be ready to hijack Arsenal’s attempts to sign £45m-rated Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey during the closing stages of the window, according to the Guardian via The Sun.
Arsenal have been strongly linked with Partey throughout the summer after Mikel Arteta identified the Atletico star as one of his key transfer targets as he looks to strengthen his options in the middle of the park.
The Spanish coach wants to overhaul his midfield options by offloading Lucas Torreira and Matteo Guendouzi then replacing the unwanted duo with Partey and Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar.
With Torreira poised to complete a loan move to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, Arsenal are hoping to secure a deal that would see Partey move in the opposite direction to north London.
However, the Gunners have so far refused to meet the 27-year-old’s £45m release clause [source: The Sun] as money is tight at the Emirates and their reluctance to get a deal done swiftly could end up costly them.
The Sun are citing a report from the Guardian that suggests Chelsea could now try to hijack Arsenal’s attempts to sign Partey as Frank Lampard looks to bring in a defensive midfielder during the final days of the window.
Chelsea have been chasing Declan Rice in recent months but are no closer to reaching a deal with West Ham and the newspaper says Partey is a viable alternative for the West Londoners.
If Chelsea fail to find a breakthrough in talks with the Hammers over the weekend then we could see them turning their attention to the Ghanaian international and that would spell bad news for Arsenal.
Partey has been a key player under Diego Simeone in recent years and has forged a reputation as one of the best all-round midfielders in Spain so he’d be an excellent signing for Arsenal or Chelsea if either club were able to get a deal agreed.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop but time is running out so Arsenal and Chelsea will have to act quickly if they want to get a transfer completed before the window shuts on Monday night.
