Arsenal may be forced to find a replacement for Thomas Partey in January with reports coming out of Italy suggesting the Ghanaian international has informed Mikel Arteta he wants to leave the club. Juventus are said to be keen on acquiring Partey’s services and are reportedly encouraged by his desire to leave the Emirates.
That is according to Tuttomercatoweb, who claim Juve sporting director Giovanni Manna and technical director Cristiano Giuntoli have identified Partey as one of their top targets in the winter transfer window. The report goes on to reveal that Manna and Giuntoli have been in London this week to hold talks with various clubs in the capital.
If Arsenal’s hand is forced then there are plenty of decent options that can be signed in the centre of the park in Partey’s place. Here, Express Sport looks at three players that could end up coming through the door in January.
Andre Trindade
Andre Trindade is expected to leave Fluminese in January after helping the Serie A side secure their first Copa Libertadores last weekend. The 22-year-old defensive midfielder is being closely monitored by Liverpool but no offer has been made as of yet.
Arsenal are reportedly keen on acquiring his services and would likely firm up their interest if Partey was confirmed to be leaving. Andre is expected to cost around £30million and has a “verbal agreement” with club president Mario Bittencourt to leave Fluminese at the end of the domestic Brazilian season, which is set to wrap up before Christmas.
Martin Zubimendi
Arsenal have been linked with Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi for the last two transfer windows. Zubimendi has a £52.7m release clause in his deal and has a strong desire to play in the Premier League.
The Gunners are said to have made a formal approach in January of last year, but the 24-year-old made it clear to technical director Edu that he had no intention of leaving the Basque side in the middle of the season. A similar issue presents itself once again but with only eighteen months remaining on his contract Real Sociedad may be keen to cash in on their star midfielder.
Adrien Rabiot
Arsenal may be able to get Adrien Rabiot from Juventus as part of a swap deal for Partey in January. The Frenchman has been linked with a move away since last summer with Manchester United and Newcastle said to be interested in snapping him up. His contract is set to expire in June 2024 so it is likely Arsenal wouldn’t have to throw in extra funds to sweeten the deal.
