Partey was initially believed to be leaving the Emirates Stadium, but latest reports are that the midfielder could sign an extension
Thomas Partey may be closing in on a new Arsenal deal, with talks underway over a two-year extension that could see the Ghanaian midfielder extend his stay at the Emirates well beyond this summer.
The 31-year-old’s current contract expires in June, and until recently, most signs pointed to a free exit. But Partey’s recent form – arguably his best since arriving from Atletico Madrid in 2020 – has shifted the club’s stance.
Both Arsenal and the player are now open to a new agreement, either a fresh two-year deal or a one-plus-one extension, according to The Athletic.
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta was initially open to a midfield reshuffle this summer, but he is now reportedly keen on keeping Partey, with the player’s importance having grown with injuries to key players.
The Ghana international has been deployed not only in his familiar holding midfield role but also at right-back, stepping in at various times due to missing defenders Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Gabriel Magalhaes.
Asked about Partey’s future at his press conference ahead of the match against Crystal Palace, Arteta was reticent.
“There is progress with all the players,” he said. “I’ll leave that to Andrea [Berta, the sporting director] and the club.”
Partey was one of the standout performers in Arsenal’s emphatic 3-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid earlier this month. While Declan Rice stole headlines with his set-piece brilliance, many fans saw Partey as the engine room behind the performance.
He followed that display with a well-taken goal against Brentford four days later, his fourth of the Premier League season.
The midfielder’s influence was also evident in the collective frustration among fans after he received a yellow card that would rule him out of the first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
Recent reports from the Gunners’ camp are that the club are in the advanced stages of a deal with Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi, so it is unclear how the progress of that deal may or may not factor into the club’s considerations about a Partey contract.
