Atletico Madrid may have no choice but to sell Thomas Partey this summer, after UEFA’s most recent announcement about Champions League qualification.

The Daily Mail write that Atletico Madrid may have to sell Thomas Partey to stay afloat financially, following UEFA’s confirmation of the ‘sporting merit’ plan for Champions League qualification.

Atletico, rather like Arsenal, were hoping for another qualification solution. They wanted either the use of the club coefficients (Atletico are second in the whole of Europe) or voiding the season and using last year’s results (Atletico finished second).

Instead, the current implication is that UEFA want La Liga to use current standings. Atletico sit sixth in the table, so unless their season plays out, they’ll miss out on Champions League.

This is a particularly big problem for Atletico as they try to pay off their new stadium. They took out a ~€200m loan in 2017 that they won’t pay back in full until 2028. As a result, they may have to sell to be able to afford to pay this year’s instalments.

That’s vaguely good news for Arsenal, who are trying to buy Partey. He’s one of a few who could help raise funds for Atletico. On the other hand, the Gunners will have exactly the same problem if the Premier League season doesn’t restart.