Arsenal may or may not be signing Thomas Partey this summer.
At one point, Partey to North London was dominating column inches but the longer he goes without officially joining the Gunners, the more it probably won’t happen.
Arsenal should probably start looking at alternatives and, if rumours are believed, they may have begun this process already.
That’s because according to Jeunex Footeaux, the Emirates Stadium club are keeping an eye on Colombia international Wilmar Barrios.
This is the hot-headed South American midfielder who helped his country to a World Cup quarter-final in 2018 – and almost got sent off for headbutting Jordan Henderson in defeat by England.
Evident by the fact he has 47 bookings in his career [Transfermarkt], Barrios is clearly a defensive midfielder and with Partey playing the same role, Arsenal wouldn’t be signing both.
Plus, in these cautious financial times, Barrios is perhaps the safer gamble.
According to Jeunex Footeaux, Zenit could sell up for £27 million – £18 million less than what Atletico want for Partey [The Telegraph].
The Ghanaian powerhouse could yet wind up at the Emirates Stadium, but the rumour mill isn’t churning out much by way of content, with speculation being colder than Mateo Guendouzi’s relationship with Mikel Arteta, and Barrios might be the one to pursue going forward.
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