Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is allegedly growing increasingly frustrated at his bit-part role in North London and could consider an exit next year.
The former Atletico Madrid man's partnership with Granit Xhaka blossomed in the 2022-23 season, as Arsenal came agonisingly close to dethroning champions Manchester City.
Partey also largely managed to shake off the injury woes that had bedevilled him during his early days at the Emirates, but Xhaka's switch to Bayer Leverkusen complicated Mikel Arteta's selection dilemma in midfield.
Declan Rice and Kai Havertz arrived for a combined £170m to bolster Arsenal's engine room, and both quickly cemented regular starting roles in the first XI alongside captain and mainstay Martin Odegaard.
Partey was subsequently tipped to follow Xhaka out of the exit door amid interest from Juventus and clubs in Saudi Arabia, but Arteta vetoed an exit for the Ghana international, who still has two years left to run on his contract.
© Reuters
However, since the 2023-24 season commenced, Partey has only made four Premier League appearances, starting the Gunners' first three games of the new term in an unfamiliar right-back role before picking up a groin injury.
So far in October, Partey has been an unused substitute in clashes with Chelsea and Lens - both of which Arsenal failed to win - while earning just 15 minutes off the bench in a 1-0 win over Manchester City.
Jorginho has been preferred as the deepest-lying midfielder over the past few weeks, and Partey was nowhere to be seen in Tuesday's Champions League win over Sevilla due to a fresh muscular concern.
While his fitness woes have now risen their ugly heads again, Tutto Juve claims that Partey and his entourage are still dissatisfied with his lack of minutes and may seek an exit when the window reopens over the winter.
Due to Nicolo Fagioli and Paul Pogba's suspensions for illegal gambling and doping respectively, Juventus would try again for Partey in January if the opportunity presents itself, but the Bianconeri would only be after a loan deal.
© Reuters
However, Arsenal would be unlikely to sanction the exit of an experienced midfielder midway through the season, and Partey is also due to represent Ghana in January's Africa Cup of Nations.
The Gunners paid £43.5m to bring Partey to the club in the last knocking of the summer 2020 window, and the 30-year-old now boasts five goals and four assists from 104 games for the North London club, winning one Community Shield in the process.
Partey could be one of a handful of midfielders to seek pastures new in 2024, as Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny are both out of contract at the end of the season, and it remains to be seen whether they are granted extensions given their age.
Elneny has expressed a desire to hang up his boots at the Emirates, though, having been handed a new one-year contract earlier this year following a severe knee injury.
Ahead of a potential wave of midfield exits, Arsenal have apparently identified Real Madrid's Aurelien Tchouameni as their leading engine room target for the 2024-25 campaign.
Ben Knapton
