Arsenal green-light Thomas Partey sale – with replacement decided already: report

Arsenal star Thomas Partey during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers at Emirates Stadium on May 28, 2023 in London, United Kingdom.
(Image credit: Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

Arsenal star Thomas Partey is set to be sacrificed by manager Mikel Arteta as the Gunners' overhaul continues.

Declan Rice is expected to join the club for a whopping £105 million, a record for an English player – with spending expected to continue further. Arsenal are on the brink of tying up defender Jurrien Timber, too. 

But a second midfielder could yet join, as Arteta restructures his side ahead of next season – meaning that Partey would be sold, potentially to Saudi Arabia.

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta (R) congratulates West Ham United's English midfielder Declan Rice (L) at the end of the English Premier League football match between West Ham United and Arsenal at the London Stadium, in London on May 1, 2022.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is bringing in Declan Rice – and wants to sell Thomas Partey (Image credit: BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)

According to transfer insider, Graeme Bailey, Saudi Arabia is the likeliest destination for Partey, who is surplus to requirements following the arrival of Rice. 

“They are trying to move him to Saudi Arabia, and if that happens, the chance of another midfield signing is strong,” Bailey told TEAMtalk, adding, “Declan Rice was always their first choice and they are delighted to get him over the line, but I am told they are looking for more.”

“It will be fascinating to see where they go from here,” continued Bailey. “But they have been linked with a number of options including the likes of Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. A third midfielder in their sights is Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana”.

World Cup runner-up Fofana had been touted as an alternative to Rice, while his countryman Aurelien Tchouameni has been linked with the Gunners, too.

Youssouf Fofana of France celebrates after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between France and Poland at Al Thumama Stadium on December 04, 2022 in Doha, Qatar.

Youssouf Fofana has been linked with Arsenal (Image credit: Francois Nel/Getty Images)

The Gunners are believed to be selling Granit Xhaka this summer too, though are holding out for £20m according to reports.

Partey is valued at €35m by Transfermarkt

More Arsenal stories

Arsenal transfer news is ramping up this summer, with the Gunners set to loosen their wage structure to attract the best players.

Jurrien Timber looks to be next to joinMoises Caicedo is heavily linkedXavi Simons is on the radarIvan Fresneda could join, though Arsenal could sell £100m worth of players, too. Romeo Lavia is in the crosshairs – though Liverpool want him, too

Meanwhile Folarin Balogun is being valued at £50m.

Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.