Arsenal have identified a possible replacement for Thomas Partey, as a summer transfer seems imminent for the midfielder.
Thomas Partey was one of Mikel Arteta’s first signings after he became Arsenal manager in December 2019. The Gunners paid his release clause of £43million as he made the switch from Atletico Madrid to London in order to help the club achieve Champions League football. It took longer than expected but three years later Arsenal are finally back in Europe’s elite competition, however Thomas Partey might not be around to experience it.
The Ghanian midfielder is currently attracting a lot of attention from clubs around Europe and the Middle East. Two Serie A clubs are said to be interested in signing Partey this summer as well as AS Monaco. Arsenal are willing to listen to offers for the midfielder as long as their valuation of £30m/£40m is met and they bring in a replacement beforehand.
Declan Rice is Arsenal’s main priority right now and they prepare a third bid which is expected to reach £100million to sign the West Ham captain this summer. However if Thomas Partey leaves Mikel Arteta also wants to bring in another midfielder with Southampton’s Romeo Lavia at the top of the list.
The 19-year-old Belgian picked up many plaudits this season, however his impressive performances were unable to save Southampton from relegation, which will see the Saints play in the championship for the first time since 11/12 season.
Arsenal identify Romeo Lavia as Thomas Partey’s replacement if he is to leave the club this summer. [Image Credit: Getty Images]
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Romeo Lavia joined Southampton from Manchester City’s academy at the beginning of last season for a fee of around £10million.
Lavia was one of the rare bright sights in a struggling Southampton team during the 2022/23 campaign and according to reports the player is open for a new challenge this summer as he wants to play in England’s top division. The Southampton midfielder is valued at around £40million.
This season Romeo Lavia made 28 appearances for Southampton, scoring once, which is a vital amount of experience gained at just 19-years-old.
Arsenal are looking get their business done early this summer in order to avoid competition from other Premier League clubs and also to allow any new signings to get a full pre-season under their belt ahead of the new campaign.
Arsenal’s priority still remains Declan Rice with the Gunners hopeful to conclude a deal over the next week and then they’ll move on to other targets such as Romeo Lavia as Thomas Partey’s future should become clearer.
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