Arsenal have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey with Juventus entering the race to sign the midfielder, who is ‘very interested’ in a move to the Italian giants, according to reports.
The 27-year-old is believed to be on boss Mikel Arteta’s wishlist as he looks to transform the side ready for next season, but were reluctant to meet his £50m release clause and their latest offer of £22.5m plus Matteo Guendouzi was rejected.
Now Arsenal have been dealt a further blow with Serie A side Juve keen to poach Partey’s signature from under their noses, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
The report also indicates the player himself is ‘very interested’ in the move to Italy should the opportunity arise.
The Old Lady are seeking reinforcements in the defensive midfield area after Blaise Matuidi departed to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami.
New boss Andres Pirlo is said to be keen to have Partey in his midfield alongside Arthur and Rodrigo Bentancur next season.
The North London club are also having issues with their potential alternative to Partey, with Porto demanding £27m but Arsenal only willing to go to £18m.
Former Liverpool star Phillippe Coutinho and former Chelsea winger Willian are also on Arteta’s list of targets, but are working on a reduced budget due to loss of revenue from the coronavirus pandemic.
Any moves Arsenal make will most likely hinge on the club being able to offload some of the surplus to requirements stars, such as Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Shokran Mustafi.
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