Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has played it cool, when asked if it is possible for the Gunners to sign Thomas Partey at his latest press conference, which was covered by Football London.
Arsenal have been heavily linked with Partey going into the summer transfer window, but there are doubts over whether Arteta’s side can afford to snap up the Ghanian.
Arsenal are thought to only have a limited budget to spend, and Arteta could mainly be limited to free transfers and loans.
With Partey’s asking price set at £44 million by Atletico Madrid, according to Goal, he would not come cheaply.
And 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.”
If Arsenal are relying on qualifying for the Champions League to afford Partey then their form since the restart has hardly aided matters.
Arsenal have looked well off the pace since the Premier League returned and have lost their first two games back.
Arsenal were thoroughly outplayed by Manchester City, before Brighton & Hove Albion stunned them at the weekend.
Partey’s presence in both games would have helped, as his presence and steel in midfield would surely have offered the Gunners defence far greater protection.
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