Edu has ‘discussed’ signing £50m Thomas Partey upgrade after he played Arsenal in the Champions League

Thomas Partey may well have entered the final few months of his Arsenal career.

The Ghana international joined the Gunners from Atletico Madrid on transfer deadline day in 2020. He was viewed as the missing piece in the puzzle at the time.

Partey has produced a number of exceptional performances for Mikel Arteta’s side over the years, but injuries have really troubled him.

Now, the midfielder has entered the final year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium, and the likelihood of Arsenal allowing him to leave on a free transfer next summer is very high.

If that happens, Arsenal will need a replacement, and they have one of their recent opponents on their list.

Arsenal have discussed a move to sign Ederson

Arsenal strengthened their midfield with the addition of Mikel Merino in the summer, but they will likely have to dive back into the market in 2025 for further reinforcements.

Partey’s future being up in the air is one reason, but fellow veteran midfielder Jorginho will be out of contract next year as well.

Arsenal have an option to extend the Italian’s deal by 12 months, but it won’t be a surprise at all if they decide to move both Jorginho and Partey on because of their age.

If that happens, Arsenal will be on the market for a replacement, and Charles Watts has revealed on CaughtOffside that Ederson could be an option.

The journalist has claimed that he is ‘sure’ that Arsenal have ‘discussed’ the Atalanta midfielder as a transfer target after watching his rise in the Serie A.

Edu Gaspar and Arteta would’ve seen him play first-hand in Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Atalanta in September.

“Ederson’s star is rising with Atalanta and Arsenal had an opportunity to get a close-up view of his talents when the two teams met in the Champions League a few weeks ago,” Watts said.

“The Brazilian is being linked with a number of clubs at the moment, including Arsenal, and that’s no real surprise given the way he has been performing in Italy under Gian Piero Gasperini.

“Arsenal are looking at midfield options ahead of the summer, with the futures of Jorginho and Thomas Partey very much in doubt right now and I’m sure Ederson’s name would have been discussed given the form he has been in of late.”

How Ederson performed when he came up against Arsenal star Partey

When Arsenal faced Atalanta in Bergamo in the Champions League earlier this season, both Partey and Ederson started in midfield.

The Ghanaian is the more experienced and accomplished player, but on that night, it was Ederson who did a much better job in the middle of the park. Perhaps that convinced Arsenal that he is an upgrade over Partey.

Ederson had more touches of the ball, made more passes and won more duels than Partey in midfield when they faced each other. The Brazilian also won a penalty in that game – Partey was the one who fouled him inside the box.

Sofascore handed Ederson a 7.3/10 rating for the game, while Partey was given 6.3/10 – only two players got a lower rating.

Graeme Bailey revealed on TBR Football that Ederson is open to a move to the Premier League in 2025. Atalanta value him at around £50 million, and it will be interesting to see if Arsenal will make a move to sign him.