Gunners also interested in Chelsea midfielder Jorginho, who joins Partey and Lyon's Houssem Aouar on club's transfer shortlist
Friday 25 September 2020 08:36, UK
Atletico Madrid are confident of securing a loan deal for Lucas Torreira in a move that could hold the key to Arsenal's chances of signing Thomas Partey.
The two clubs are in talks over a move for the Uruguay midfielder but, while Atletico are pursuing a straight season-long loan, Arsenal are looking to sell the 24-year-old on a permanent deal or a loan with obligation to buy.
The funds from a sale to Atletico would allow Arsenal to part-fund the £45m release clause in Partey's contract, and they know that doing business with the La Liga club could smooth the path for them to sign the Ghana international.
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Serie A side Torino remain keen on Torreira - who previously spent time in Italy with Pescara and Sampdoria - and a deal worth £22m is under discussion, while Sky in Italy also report that Fiorentina have manifested an interest.
Torreira is yet to feature in a matchday squad for Arsenal this season, and appears to be one of several players that are not in Arteta's plans.
Fellow midfielders Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi are also yet to play for Arsenal this campaign, with the duo understood to have potentially played their last games for the club.
As talks between the clubs continue, Arsenal are looking at alternatives like Chelsea's Jorginho and Lyon's Houssem Aouar.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was assistant to Pep Guardiola when Manchester City came close to signing Jorginho from Napoli in 2018.
However, the Italy international appears to be part of Frank Lampard's plans at Chelsea, and has captained the side in both of their Premier League games so far this season.
Arteta has admitted that it is "very difficult" for Ozil to break back into his Arsenal side after leaving the midfielder out of a fourth successive matchday squad.
Asked to explain the prolonged absence of Ozil - who has not played for the club since March 7 - from his team, Arteta said: "The team is evolving, you can see the level they are achieving.
"This is where we are at the moment. We want to evolve more and play better and compete better. We need to keep maintaining that.
"I'm really happy with the performance here, how difficult they're making things for the coaching staff to select the squad.
"We are picking the players that we believe are the best for each game. You can see we keep training, it's what we're trying to do.
"You can see that the players we are changing, we are using, it's very difficult every week - not [just] for Mesut - but for some other players as well to make the squad. Every week we try to pick the right players.
"Of course I understand and I respect your questions, but I have to try to do my job as fair as possible. I try to select the players that are, in my opinion, in better condition."
The summer transfer window closes at 11pm on Monday, October 5 with a feast of activity lined up on Transfer Deadline Day on Sky Sports News and across our Sky Sports platforms.
A domestic-only window for deals between the Premier League and EFL then runs from October 5 and closes on Friday, October 16 at 5pm. Follow all the news and analysis on SSN and across Sky Sports' digital platforms, including with our dedicated Transfer Centre blog.
