Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta will miss out on his number one transfer target this summer with Thomas Partey set to renew with Atletico Madrid, reports AS.
Partey has been heavily linked with a summer move to Arsenal in recent months and was reportedly mulling the idea of joining the Gunners.
The 27-year-old has a €50m release clause in his current deal and Atletico would have been powerless to preventing his departure if Arsenal matched it.
Arsenal duo Matteo Guendouzi and Alexandre Lacazette have also been touted as possible makeweights in order to drive down Partey's asking price.
However, Partey has had a change of heart about leaving Atletico and is now poised to sign a bumper £135,000-a-week deal with Diego Simeone's side.
Atletico have been scrambling to secure Partey's long-term future amid interest from Arsenal and will even double his release clause under the proposed terms in his new contract.
Partey hasn't always been first choice under Simeone but has really stepped up with his performances this season, excelling in their Champions League knockout win over Liverpool before the break.
In fact, only fan favourite Saul Niguez (7.27) has a higher WhoScored rating than Partey (7.07) of all Atletico players in LaLiga this season.
However, Partey is not without his faults. The combative midfielder has surprisingly made the most errors leading to an opposition shot on goal in LaLiga this season (7).
