Emery steps-up pursuit as Arsenal boss eyes swoop for £44m Man Utd target

Managers are making plans for the summer transfer window so we’ll bring you all the latest news and gossip from around the globe. Today, Arsenal have stepped up their interest in Man Utd target Thomas Partey….

Arsenal boss Unai Emery was in the stands to watch Atletico Madrid draw at Levante amid links with £44m-rated Man Utd target Thomas Partey, according to the Express.

Emery is gearing-up for a busy summer in the market as he looks to continue his rebuilding job at the Emirates Stadium and the Arsenal chief is hoping to see his transfer kitty increase substantially with victory over Chelsea in the Europa League final later this month.

The north Londoners desperately need to strengthen in defence while a wide attacker is also on the agenda but Emery is expected to dip into the market for at least one more midfielder with Aaron Ramsey leaving for Juventus and Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny linked with moves away.

The Sun reported on Friday that Arsenal have expressed an interest in signing Atletico midfielder Thomas Partey and are primed to battle it out with Manchester United over his signature this summer.

It seems Emery has now stepped-up his interest in the 25-year-old as the Express are reporting that the Arsenal boss was in the stands to watch Atletico end their season with a 2-2 draw at Levante on Saturday.

Partey has been strongly linked with a move away from the Metropolitano this summer and his agent, Jose Daniel Jimenez Pozanco, confirmed recently that the player has a release clause worth around £44m [€50m] in his contract.

The agent is quoted by the Express as saying:

“I haven’t talked to anyone yet.  The termination clause in Thomas’s contract is 50 million euros, and that’s a cheap figure for a player like him.

“Let the season end and then we’ll see what happens.”

Partey is predominately a defensive midfielder so he would add some much needed protection in front of the Arsenal defence if he was to complete a move to the Emirates. The Gunners shipped 51 goals in the league this season so Emery needs to tighten things up and Partey is seemingly on his radar.

The Ghanaian international came through the youth ranks at Atletico and has been excellent for Diego Simeone’s side this campaign so he could be seen as the ideal partner for Lucas Torreira in the middle of the park at Arsenal.

READ MORE–> Arsenal transfer news | Man Utd transfer news

However, there is a long way to go before a deal is done and Man Utd could provide stiff competition for Partey’s signature if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer formalises his interest in the player so we should keep a close eye on developments over the coming weeks.