Mikel Arteta responds when asked if Arsenal could sign £65k-a-week ace who Cesc Fabregas loves

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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has responded after being asked by Football London whether the Gunners can afford to sign Thomas Partey this summer.

The Atletico Madrid midfielder has been linked with Arsenal for a number of months and, according to Mundo Deportivo, is a priority target for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Speculation linking Partey to the Emirates Stadium gathered pace in April when his father was quoted as saying that both parties have been in contact about a possible switch to London.

“I called my son after hearing the rumours and he told me that the rumours are true,” Jacob Partey told Tru FM’s Sports World Show, as quoted by Football London. “He told me they are holding talks between him and Arsenal.”

Guillem Balague recently claimed on his official YouTube channel that Atletico want Partey to sign a new deal to remove his estimated £45million release clause – but the player is seemingly refusing to sign.

And according to Madrid-based publication La Razon, it is an “open secret” that the Ghana international will leave the Wanda Metropolitano in the summer.

That said, his release clause price would seemingly put him out of Arsenal’s range, given the impact of the global health crisis on the football industry.

When asked if Arsenal could afford such a fee for the defensive midfielder, Arteta said: “At the moment, just to predict what is going to happen in the transfer window is impossible. You can see one or two clubs doing these sorts of deals, but the rest is really, really quiet.

“As I told you, we have to assess the financial situation that we have, and as well the results and where we finish in the season will dictate whether we have a narrow gap or a bigger gap to do any deals. I think we are going to have to wait another four to six weeks to see what we are able to do.”

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Partey is a player of the highest calibre, a key member of the Atletico side which knocked current Champions League holders Liverpool out of the competition at the last 16 stage.

A no-nonsense defensive midfielder, his reputation is growing across European football, and he’s shown he can impress on the elite stage.

Indeed, the £65,000-a-week star has been approved by fellow midfield ace and Arsenal cult hero Cesc Fabregas, who described the Atleti man as “very good” back in December.

Partey usually sits in a deeper midfield role in front of the back four and is an expert at breaking up play with his aggressive tackling and reading of the game, something Arsenal really could do with.