Barcelona in talks to sign £45m Arsenal star as Hansi Flick approves transfer
Barcelona have work to do to convince Thomas Partey to join this summer despite beginning talks with representatives of the Arsenal midfielder.
Partey, 31, has entered the final month of his deal at the Emirates Stadium and Arsenal have so far failed to tie him down to a new contract.
Mikel Arteta recently confirmed he wanted Partey to extend his stay at the club and claimed the Ghana international has enjoyed his best season for the Gunners.
Partey only missed three of Arsenal's Premier League games and played a key role in the club's run to the Champions League semi-finals.
Arsenal are set to sign Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad but Arteta is still keen to keep hold of Partey, especially following Jorginho's departure from north London.
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
But with talks over a new deal stalling Partey is eyeing a summer move and his representatives are in talks with Barcelona, according to The Sun.
It is claimed Barca boss Hansi Flick is a 'big admirer' of Partey and has sanctioned Barcelona's move.
Asked if he wanted Thomas Partey to remain at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta said: 'Yes. I think consistency-wise it's been his best season. The way he's played, performed, his availability, has been exceptional and he's a really important player for us.'
However, the La Liga giants have a big job on their hands to convince Partey to leave north London, where he would ideally like to stay.
Partey is settled at Arsenal and enjoys playing under Mikel Arteta despite the team going five successive seasons without a major trophy.
'Thomas respects Arsenal massively and loves living in London,' a source told The Sun. 'But he also knows his worth and wants a deal that reflects his standing at the club.' More Trending
As well as Barcelona, Partey has attracted interest from his former club Atletico Madrid, Serie A giants Juventus and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Besiktas.
Partey has made 167 appearances for Arsenal since joining the club in 2021 in a £45m deal from Atletico.
After welcoming Zubimendi to Arsenal, Arteta is expected to target a new striker, with Viktor Gyokeres or Benjamin Sesko likely to arrive at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners were one of a number of clubs linked with Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap but Chelsea appear to have won that transfer race.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Chelsea outcast sees son join Arsenal amid uncertainty over his future
MORE: Paris Saint-Germain can add Club World Cup glory to their awesome Champions League final success
MORE: Chelsea have key advantage over Man Utd in race to sign £70m Premier League star
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
22 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Tuesday's briefing: Crystal Palace to meet UEFA officials and Mason moves on
Crystal Palace will meet UEFA officials on Tuesday and plead their case to be allowed to compete in Europe next season, the PA news agency understands. Palace must show UEFA's club financial control body (CFCB) that they do not fall foul of its multi-club ownership rules. There has been a change at Tottenham as it was announced on Monday night that first-team coach Ryan Mason had left to take over as West Brom boss, but there is still no news on the future of Ange Postecoglou. Palace's European tour on hold? 😏 — Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) May 19, 2025 Palace qualified for the Europa League after they stunned Manchester City at Wembley to clinch FA Cup final success on May 17. However, John Textor holds a 43 per cent stake in Palace through his company Eagle Football and he is also the owner of French club Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League with a sixth-placed finish in Ligue 1. No individual is allowed to have a significant say in the running of two clubs competing in the same UEFA competition and the CFCB would have to make a ruling on any potential breach. PA understands Palace are confident no rules have been breached owing to the fact that Textor – through Eagle Football – has only a 25 per cent share of voting rights alongside fellow principal owners Josh Harris, David Blitzer and chairman Steve Parish. Parish is also responsible for the day-to-day running of the club. Mason moves on Introducing our new men's first team Head Coach, Ryan Mason! 💙🤍 — West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) June 2, 2025 Ryan Mason ended his lengthy association with Tottenham on Monday to accept his first permanent managerial role as West Brom boss. West Brom quickly made Mason, 33, their leading candidate to replace Tony Mowbray after the veteran was dismissed on April 21. Spurs' roller-coaster 2024-25 campaign only ended on May 25 but after a short holiday, Mason decided to accept the advances of the Championship club and agreed a three-year deal to become the youngest head coach in the second tier. Once-capped England midfielder Mason spent 17 years at Tottenham as a player before a further seven years as a coach after he was forced to retire in 2018 after he fractured his skull in a Premier League match. Transfer activity continues Liverpool continue to pursue a deal to sign Florian Wirtz after their £109million bid was rebuffed by Bayer Leverkusen. A firm offer was made on Friday but the Bundesliga side are holding out for a fee closer to £125m and talks are continuing. Chelsea, meanwhile, completed the signing of midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting in time for him to be registered to feature in this month's Club World Cup. Elsewhere, Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo has reportedly decided to join Manchester United this summer despite interest from other Premier League clubs. Wiegman 'pretty close' to knowing Euro 2025 squad England face Spain in the Women's Nations League in their final competitive fixture before the defence of their European Championship title this summer. Sarina Wiegman will cast an eye over her squad for one last time in Barcelona before she is forced to whittle down her options. However, the Euros-winning head coach admitted on Monday that she was 'pretty close' to knowing her squad before a Group A3 clash which will determine who progresses into the competition's finals. 'We're pretty close. Still of course you want to go to the game tomorrow and make the final decisions, but we're pretty close,' Wiegman revealed. What's on today? One team 🫶 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) June 2, 2025 In addition to England's fixture with Spain, already-relegated Scotland are also in Nations League top-tier action as they visit the Netherlands. Wales, assured of bottom spot in Group A4, entertain Italy, whilst Northern Ireland travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B1 and Republic of Ireland could still clinch promotion from Group B2 if they can beat leaders Slovenia.
The Herald Scotland
32 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Tuesday's briefing: Crystal Palace to meet UEFA officials and Mason moves on
There has been a change at Tottenham as it was announced on Monday night that first-team coach Ryan Mason had left to take over as West Brom boss, but there is still no news on the future of Ange Postecoglou. Palace's European tour on hold? Palace qualified for the Europa League after they stunned Manchester City at Wembley to clinch FA Cup final success on May 17. However, John Textor holds a 43 per cent stake in Palace through his company Eagle Football and he is also the owner of French club Lyon, who qualified for the Europa League with a sixth-placed finish in Ligue 1. No individual is allowed to have a significant say in the running of two clubs competing in the same UEFA competition and the CFCB would have to make a ruling on any potential breach. PA understands Palace are confident no rules have been breached owing to the fact that Textor – through Eagle Football – has only a 25 per cent share of voting rights alongside fellow principal owners Josh Harris, David Blitzer and chairman Steve Parish. Parish is also responsible for the day-to-day running of the club. Mason moves on Introducing our new men's first team Head Coach, Ryan Mason! 💙🤍 — West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) June 2, 2025 Ryan Mason ended his lengthy association with Tottenham on Monday to accept his first permanent managerial role as West Brom boss. West Brom quickly made Mason, 33, their leading candidate to replace Tony Mowbray after the veteran was dismissed on April 21. Spurs' roller-coaster 2024-25 campaign only ended on May 25 but after a short holiday, Mason decided to accept the advances of the Championship club and agreed a three-year deal to become the youngest head coach in the second tier. Once-capped England midfielder Mason spent 17 years at Tottenham as a player before a further seven years as a coach after he was forced to retire in 2018 after he fractured his skull in a Premier League match. Transfer activity continues Liverpool continue to pursue a deal to sign Florian Wirtz (Bradley Collyer/PA) Liverpool continue to pursue a deal to sign Florian Wirtz after their £109million bid was rebuffed by Bayer Leverkusen. A firm offer was made on Friday but the Bundesliga side are holding out for a fee closer to £125m and talks are continuing. Chelsea, meanwhile, completed the signing of midfielder Dario Essugo from Sporting in time for him to be registered to feature in this month's Club World Cup. Elsewhere, Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo has reportedly decided to join Manchester United this summer despite interest from other Premier League clubs. Wiegman 'pretty close' to knowing Euro 2025 squad England face Spain in the Women's Nations League in their final competitive fixture before the defence of their European Championship title this summer. Sarina Wiegman will cast an eye over her squad for one last time in Barcelona before she is forced to whittle down her options. However, the Euros-winning head coach admitted on Monday that she was 'pretty close' to knowing her squad before a Group A3 clash which will determine who progresses into the competition's finals. 'We're pretty close. Still of course you want to go to the game tomorrow and make the final decisions, but we're pretty close,' Wiegman revealed. What's on today? In addition to England's fixture with Spain, already-relegated Scotland are also in Nations League top-tier action as they visit the Netherlands. Wales, assured of bottom spot in Group A4, entertain Italy, whilst Northern Ireland travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Group B1 and Republic of Ireland could still clinch promotion from Group B2 if they can beat leaders Slovenia.
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Arsenal star subject of Barcelona talks as goalkeeper agrees switch
Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to a third successive runner-up finish in the Premier League this season and the Gunners are expected to invest during the summer transfer window Arsenal's main priority this summer appears to be a new striker, but that isn't the only area where they're looking to strengthen. Mikel Arteta's side finished a distant second behind Liverpool in the Premier League, and are likely to need to make additions just to keep pace with their title rivals next term. Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres are the two strikers most heavily linked, with talks over a Sesko move underway. The RB Leipzig striker won't come cheap, but those at the club seem to believe he has the quality to lead the line both now and long into the future. A move for a new striker ought to leave the team better stocked in midfield, with Mikel Merino no longer needed to deputise in attack and Kai Havertz potentially dropping deeper for certain games. A deeper-lying midfielder is still a priority, though, with Martin Zubimendi expected to fill that role. Mikel Arteta is preparing to lose the likes of Kieran Tierney and Jorginho, while Raheem Sterling and Neto are set to return to their parent clubs. The manager has indicated he'll have the backing of the board this summer, though, and excitement has been building over new arrivals. There's a long way to go before the start of the new season, but we've already seen plenty of movement elsewhere and Arsenal could well be next. Here are Mirror Football 's latest lines from around the Emirates Stadium. Barcelona in Partey talks Barcelona are in talks over a summer move for Thomas Partey, according to The Sun. The Ghana international is out of contract at Arsenal this summer, so could move for nothing. Partey had been in conversation with Arsenal over an extension. However, with no agreement in place, the Catalan club are said to be exploring a swoop. The former Atletico Madrid man, who turns 32 in June, was one of Mikel Arteta's first signings when he joined in the summer of 2020. Arteta has publicly expressed his desire to keep the player around. Garcia staying in La Liga Staying with Barcelona, Joan Garcia is set to join Hansi Flick's club from local rivals Espanyol. Goalkeeper Garcia had been a target for Arsenal in previous windows, with Newcastle also linked. According to Sport, though, the 24-year-old has reached an agreement with Barca ahead of a £21million switch. The Catalan publication reports that he will become Barcelona's new keeper next week, once the player returns from a planned holiday. Wojciech Szczesny and Marc-Andre ter-Stegen have shared goalkeeping duties under Flick next term. Both could yet remain at the club next term and battle it out with Garcia for a starting spot, but the new man is expected to target first-team football from the get-go. Brighton set Joao Pedro asking price Brighton won't accept anything less than £70million for Joao Pedro, The Sun reports. The Brazilian frontman had been mentioned in connection with an Arsenal switch, though Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres still appear to be at the top of the queue. The 23-year-old joined the Seagulls in a club record deal in the summer of 2023. He has scored 30 goals in 70 appearances for the club, who are said to be under no pressure to sell. Two of his 10 league goals last term came against Arsenal. He earned Fabian Hurzeler's side a point against a 10-man Gunners side in August, and also levelled things up in the reverse fixture on the south coast in January. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
