Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is heading towards the exit door, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Writing on his X account, Romano said that there has been no progress on a contract extension and it is increasingly likely that he will leave the Emirates within a matter of “days”.
Most Read on Gooner News
Partey’s current deal expires at the end of this month. It was originally expected that the 32-year-old would be let go by the Gunners.
However, after an impressive campaign, Mikel Arteta’s side reopened talks with the player and his entourage, with the hope of keeping him beyond the summer, but negotiations have not gone smoothly.
Why haven’t Arsenal managed to find an agreement?
The Ghanaian international is currently earning £200,000 a week and the London club were reportedly looking to reduce his salary, taking into account his age and past injury record.
However, despite Partey having expressed a desire to stay, it seems he is reluctant to take a pay cut. He will undoubtedly have more lucrative proposals from abroad, most notably from the Middle East.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have also been linked, although you would think that the Gunners would still be able to offer a higher wage than those two teams.
What has Partey said about his future?
Speaking last week, the midfielder emphasised that he is an “Arsenal fan” but he did admit that money will play a role in deciding his future:
“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.”
In other news, Arsenal are weighing up a move for a player compared to Jamal Musiala