Arsenal are in contact with the representatives of Thomas Partey, with Mikel Arteta keen to add the midfielder to his squad this summer.

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Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey (L) celebrates with Angel Correa on February 14, 2020. (Photo by JOSE JORDAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Fabrizio Romano claims in The Guardian that Arsenal made contact with Thomas Partey recently ahead of a summer move. The midfielder has a €50m (£43.6m) release clause and Mikel Arteta is keen to bring him in.

In an attempt to ward off that interest, Atletico are offering Partey a new deal. The improved contract would last until 2025 and more than double his release clause to over €100m. They’re also doubling his current salary of £65,000-a-week.

So far, that isn’t proving enough to get Partey to sign it. The rumours of Atletico’s improved offer started months ago, and the current line about doubling the release clause and offering a two-year extension was in reports in mid-March.

Essentially, this is all nothing new. It’s just confirmation from a reliable source that Arsenal genuinely hold an interest in Partey.

In a normal summer, you’d expect that to lead to the activation of Partey’s €50m release clause. The current financial situation makes things awkward, though. Arsenal really need to finish the season in the Champions League places to have that kind of money spare.