David Ornstein updates on Arsenal's interest in Thomas Partey

The Athletic reporter David Ornstein has revealed that Arsenal have intensified their interest in signing midfielder Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid.

Partey has been regularly linked with the north London side over the past few months and it has also been reported that the Ghanaian is eager to play for the club.

In a report covered by The Athletic, Ornstein confirmed that the Gunners' interest in signing the 27-year-old midfielder, who has a £45m release clause in his Atletico contract.

The Gunners are currently not in a position to meet the buy-out clause, but they are optimistic over their chances of negotiating a lesser fee to land the defensive midfielder.

Partey has made more than 180 appearances for Atletico since his debut five years ago. He has been offered the opportunity to sign an improved deal beyond June 2023, but he has declined the offer amid the Gunners interest.

Partey recently played through the entire 90 minutes of Atletico's 2-2 draw against Barcelona on the road. He made five tackles and three interceptions during that game.