Thomas Partey has addressed his uncertain future at Arsenal amid discussions for a potential contract extension in North London.
Arsenal confirmed that negotiations with Partey's representatives are ongoing when the club announced their released and retained lists last week.
Partey has now given an update on the situation in an interview with 3Sports - making his Arsenal allegiances clear. Mikel Arteta wants to keep the midfielder at the Emirates.
He said: "I think the first thing is where are you happy and where do you feel at home. At the end of the day you've been in football, you've been in different teams.
"Then it's about what is your next objective what do you want to achieve next. You still have to look at all this and at the end of the day we all have a family that needs money, this is our mind.
"We are not getting younger. There are a lot of things where you have to look now with a family, where you want them to be happy. When you are young you just play anywhere.
"I'm an Arsenal fan, I can't decide anything and just have to leave it to my agent and the club. Me, I just want to enjoy football."
Gunners boss Arteta praised Partey just last month, highlighting his reliability. "Yeah. In regards to Thomas, consistency-wise, it's been his best season," said Arteta.
"I think the way he's played, performed, his availability has been exceptional, and he's a really important player for us."
Arsenal signed Partey from Atletico Madrid for a fee of £45 million in 2020, and the 31-year-old has since featured 167 times for the Gunners across all competitions, netting nine times.
The Gunners have started reshaping their midfield for the coming season, as former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has waved goodbye to North London, opting for a new chapter with Brazilian club Flamengo. Meanwhile Arsenal are close to sealing a deal for Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad, despite a late dash from Real Madrid trying to hijack the deal.
It's believed the club will fork out an amount surpassing the £51 million release clause that’s currently in the Spain international's contract, reports the Mirror. According to the Spanish press, the fee will be closer to £59 million.
Once he puts pen to paper with Arsenal, Zubimendi is set to join forces again with old teammate Mikel Merino, who moved to the Emirates last summer.