Partey’s contract talks with Arsenal hit impasse but Lewis-Skelly poised to sign

Thomas Partey is at an impasse with Arsenal in talks over a new contract as the midfielder weighs up whether to extend his stay. Partey, whose deal expires at the end of this month, has been offered a deal on slightly reduced terms.

The 32-year-old and his representatives are believed to want a similar pay structure to the one in the contract he signed when he joined from Atlético Madrid in 2020 for £45m, after he played an integral role last season, making 52 appearances.

Partey is believed to have offers from Turkey and has been linked with Barcelona in recent weeks. Despite the impending arrival from Real Sociedad of Martín Zubimendi, who would provide direct competition for the Ghana international’s starting spot, Partey is thought to prefer to stay.

Last month Mikel Arteta said he wanted Partey to sign a new contract. “Consistency-wise it’s been his best season,” he said. “The way he’s played, performed, his availability, has been exceptional and he’s a really important player for us.”

Myles Lewis-Skelly is poised to sign a new Arsenal contract after a breakthrough season when the 18-year-old made 23 Premier League appearances and scored on his England debut. Lewis-Skelly was due to enter the final 12 months of the first professional deal he signed last summer and has been tracked by Real Madrid after his performances against them in the Champions League quarter-final. The long-term deal negotiated by his mother and agent, Marcia, will make him one of the best-paid teenagers in the world.

Talks continue over new contracts for Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Ethan Nwaneri – who along with Lewis-Skelly has been nominated for the Professional Footballers’ Association’s young player of the year award – and Leandro Trossard, with Arsenal confident they will extend their deals.

The search for a striker and the sporting director Andrea Berta’s first signing goes on, with the agent of Benjamin Sesko denying reports he had asked RB Leipzig to lower their asking price from a reported £85m. “This is far from [the] truth,” said Elvis Basanovic. “We respect RB Leipzig and I am 100% convinced RB Leipzig will also respect our decision for the next step when we decide to do it.”

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Basanovic, asked whether he expected the 21-year-old to move this summer, said: “He will move from RB Leipzig only when we recognise a special club, a special project with a special coach. It can be next week … or next year or in three years.”

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