Any Arsenal pursuit of Thomas Partey is likely to depend on the structure of a potential deal for Houssem Aouar, according to a report.

The Telegraph report that it remains unlikely Arsenal will be able to afford both Houssem Aouar and Thomas Partey this summer. However, the outlet don’t rule out the possibility completely.

As widely reported by the French media ahead of the weekend, Arsenal made their first formal bid for Aouar this week. The Lyon midfielder is evidently their primary target, and with the Ligue 1 club holding out for as much as €60m, money is tight for Partey.

But The Telegraph write that a ‘staggered payment structure’ would allow Arsenal to be more flexible. Additionally, Atletico’s interest in Lucas Torreira may help soften the Spanish club’s stance on Partey.

Essentially, Arsenal need to find an instalments agreement with Lyon for Aouar, so they’re not paying too much upfront. Then they need to convince Atletico to buy Torreira outright, knocking some of the money off the Partey deal.

If that sounds like a lot of hypotheticals and a lot of work for Arsenal, that’s because it is. Just one of these deals is a major move up there with the biggest in the club’s history. Completing both in just over a week is without precedent.

I’m still fairly confident Arsenal won’t be able to get both done. But it’s clear the possibility is there if all the right pieces fall into place.