Saudi’s PIF have opened talks with an Arsenal star and personal terms have already been discussed ahead of a move to the Middle East in 2025.
Arsenal stars attracting serious interest from Europe and beyond
The London heavyweights have emerged as one of Europe’s most exciting sides under manager Mikel Arteta, who has steered the ship well and truly back on course as he seeks to end Arsenal’s 21-year wait for a Premier League title.
"Extremely quick" player has been in constant contact over joining Arsenal
He’s been reaching out via his representatives.
1 ByEmilio GalantiniSep 19, 2024
They pushed current champions Man City – who’ve clinched title glory in each of the last four seasons – right to the final day last term and accumulated an impressive 89 points, which actually would’ve been enough to win the league in many campaigns prior.
Barring a 1-1 draw at home to Brighton, Arsenal have recorded a promising start to 2024/2025 – most recently beating Tottenham 1-0 in the North London Derby despite fielding a much-weakened team minus Declan Rice, Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Oleksandr Zinchenko and captain Martin Odegaard.
Man City (away)
September 22
Leicester City (home)
September 28
Southampton (home)
October 5
Bournemouth (away)
October 19
Liverpool (home)
October 27
Arsenal are set to be without Odegaard for weeks after the Norway star injured his ankle on international duty, so the emphasis falls on other key players to guide the Gunners through a difficult run of games.
Arteta will be heavily reliant on centre-back pairing William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes during their next round of matches, including an all-important trip to Man City on Sunday this weekend.
The pair have starred as Arteta’s first-choice central defenders since the beginning of 2022/2023, with Saliba attracting interest from Real Madrid and PSG as a result of his rapid rise.
“It’s only natural that some of the top clubs in Europe would be interested in the Arsenal defender. PSG’s interest is nothing new – he’s Paris-born and hails from the Bondy region, like Kylian Mbappe and Randal Kolo Muani,” said Ligue 1 expert and CBS reporter Jonathan Johnson to CaughtOffside.
“However, at the moment, whether it’s PSG, Real Madrid or another top European club, it’s very hard to see them being able to prise Saliba away from Arsenal. He’s one of their top talents at the moment, and one of the best defenders in world football.”
Arsenal will also be thankful they kept hold of Jorginho and Thomas Partey in the summer, who will now prove crucial in the midfield to cover both Odegaard and Merino.
Partey has attracted interest from Turkey and Saudi Arabia within the last few months, as the Ghanaian’s £200,000-per-week deal ticks down towards expiry in 2025.
Partey "almost certain" to leave Arsenal as PIF open talks
The 31-year-old has started all four of their opening Premier League games this season, featuring in the middle of the park on each occasion, with Partey also given the nod during Arsenal’s 0-0 draw away to Atalanta on Thursday.
He scored away to Aston Villa in their 2-0 Midlands victory as well, and it is safe to say he will play a crucial role in the next two months. Beyond that, it appears the curtain is closing on Partey’s five years at Arsenal.
According to TEAMtalk, Partey is “almost certain” to leave Arsenal when his contract expires next year, with there being no sign of a contract renewal for the ex-Atletico Madrid star who joined for £45 million in 2020.
The Saudi-backed PIF and their chief negotiators have held talks with Partey over personal terms already. PIF’s plan, as per the report, is to agree a pre-contract with the midfielder in January – ahead of a free move later in the year.
Juventus are also contending for Partey’s signature, but as things stand, Saudi have laid the most groundwork. Since his move to England from La Liga, Partey has managed 120 appearances for Arsenal in all competitions, scoring six goals and assisting four others from midfield.
“Thomas is a super important player for us,” said Arteta on Partey after he was linked with a move away last year.
“Every time I had a conversation with him, he says he wants to stay with us. There is nothing there at all.”