Arsenal are scouring the continent to find a club willing to take Matteo Guendouzi off their hands with Goal suggesting that the out-of-favour Frenchman could be used as bait in a deal for Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey.
Even if the Gunners can gatecrash the Europa League by beating Chelsea in this weekend’s FA Cup final, admission to the Thursday night fare is unlikely to help much in their pursuit of one of La Liga’s top performers.
With his fearsome blend of tenacity and technique, Partey looks every inch the kind of monstrous midfield presence that the north London giants have missed since their Patrick Vieira, Gilberto Silva heyday.
But, as Goal point out, that £44 million release clause is likely to go un-triggered – unless a cash-strapped Arsenal side get a little creative.
Fortunately, Guendouzi is still admired across the globe despite a series of unseemly flashpoints which have seen him bombed out of Mikel Arteta’s starting XI.
The report suggests that this Enfant Terrible has been offered to clubs all around Europe as Arsenal look to get him off their books.
Atletico can have him, but only if they are willing to let Partey go in the other direction in what is likely to be a player-plus-cash deal.
Diego Simeone was a rather hot-headed midfielder himself back in the day and maybe he is the perfect role model for Guendouzi to learn from.
On talent alone, he and a certain German number ten would walk into Arteta’s starting XI without breaking sweat. But, as he has proven time and again, the new Gunners boss does not suffer floppy-haired fools gladly.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
