According to the latest reports, Premier League duo of Arsenal and Manchester United have been dealt a major blow in the pursuit of signing Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey in the upcoming summer transfer window. The Ghanaian midfielder has stated that he will be confident of staying at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium despite being linked with a move away from the club.
Since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has taken charge of Manchester United back in December from Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho he has turned the fortunes of the club. The ‘Special One’ instilled a very negative and defensive style of football at Old Trafford which did not go down well with the United faithful but the 56-year-old was sacked after leaving the club languishing in sixth place on the League table and in dire straits.
United turned to a familiar face in the form of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to take over the reins at least until the end of the season to bring stability and guidance for the players. But the Norwegian has exceeded expectations and taken United to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. The Red Devils are also in contention for a top 4 berth as they are now just three points away from fourth place. These impressive displays made United hand Solskjaer the job on a permanent basis and now the 46-year-old has a job on his hands with the summer transfer window approaching.
Even Arsenal boss Unai Emery has done exceedingly well with the Gunners since taking charge back in the summer of 2018 from Arsene Wenger. The Spanish boss has been instrumental in guiding the club to the quarterfinals of the Europa League and they look in good shape to go on and win the tournament as well. Arsenal is still looking to build on their current squad and Emery wants to sign new players in the summer window to compete for more silverware next season. The North London side is in fifth place at the moment and in contention to finish inside the top 4 at the end of this term.
Both Arsenal and Manchester United have been keeping tabs on Atletico Madrid’s midfield workhorse Thomas Partey over the last few months. His progress has been incredible ever since the past two years and he has now established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the world with the La Liga outfit. The 25-year-old has also been attracting interest from several other top clubs in the European continent but Partey seems reluctant to move away from the Spanish capital anytime soon.
While speaking to Cadena Cope, the strong midfielder said that he would not want to move away from Diego Simeone’s side as he has grown up in Atletico and feels comfortable, “I have grown up in Atleti and I am sure I will stay here, I do not know of another place that will understand how I play as they do here.”
Partey’s contract with Atletico Madrid runs out in 2023 and he has a €50m release clause at the moment.