Arsenal receive new blow in their pursuit of their target Thomas Partey

Thomas Partey has in the last few weeks been linked with a move to Arsenal since it was apparently claimed that gunners new boss Mikel Arteta had made signing a new defensive midfielder his main priority ahead of the summer transfer window. There have been many reports linking Partey to a move to Arsenal but the gunners might have received a new blow in their pursuit of the 26-year-old.

Thomas Partey has been among the most important Atletico Madrid players this season and his performances in both the Spanish LA Liga and the UEFA Champions League have seen him get a great number of suitors and Arsenal were leading the line in the race for his signature as it was recently reported that the midfielder had told his club that he would like to come to the Emirates Stadium and that he hopes they can reach to an agreement.

There has however been new news about this transfer saga as The Sun is reporting that Atletico Madrid don’t believe that the gunners will be able to pay the release clause of Thomas Partey and that they will however propose a swap deal with Liverpool that would see the Ghanaian international go to the Merseyside club while they get Alex Oxlade Chamberlain. It is believed that the upcoming transfer will mostly consist of swap deals due to the financial crisis that all clubs are facing and so it is believed that Atletico Madrid will be one of the clubs that will be using them.

This comes as a big blow for Arsenal as they might not be able to get the signature of Thomas Partey if Liverpool get involved since they are a team that could be considered to be one of the best clubs in the world at the moment but luckily for the gunners, the report doesn’t mention whether the league leaders will be accepting this swap proposal that Atletico Madrid have reportedly tabled.