Here are your Arsenal morning headlines for Saturday, May 9.
No deal for Partey
If Arsenal want to sign Atletico Madrid’s Thomas Partey, they will need to come up with a more attractive deal than simply offering cash plus Alexandre Lacazette.
That’s the verdict of European football expert Graham Hunter – who told Sky Sports that Atleti would be put off by the burden of Lacazette’s substantial wages.
"There is a need for goals, and whether Lacazette has all the requisites and specifically has the right age profile is questionable,” he said.
"If you look at the majority of strikers they've purchased in their recent history, they tend to be in their very early 20s and they pick well.
"Lacazette has got the talent and the pace, there's no question about that, but whether he's what Atleti need right now with his salary, I'd be a little unsure.”
The 28-year-old Frenchman is Arsenal’s third-highest paid player – after Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – and is believed to earn in the region of £182,000 per week on a contract that has two more years to run.
Midfielder Partey, meanwhile, has a release clause in his contract with Atleti priced at £45 million.
Saka staying put
Liverpool are preparing a summer move for Bukayo Saka – but Arsenal are ready to reject any offers.
Saka is now first-choice left back at the Emirates, having overtaken Sead Kolasinac and Kieran Tierney in the pecking order this season.
The 19-year-old has one year left on his existing deal – and manager Mikel Arteta wants him to honour that, even if he doesn’t sign a new five-year contract to commit his future to the Gunners.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are looking to boost their squad with young talent rather than big-name signings – and see Saka as an ideal successor to Andy Robertson, according to Football Insider.
Teen titans
Three of Arsenal’s starlets have been named in a new list of the 50 best teenagers in the world of football.
Gabriel Martinelli, William Saliba and Bukayo Saka all make the cut – meaning that the Gunners have more representatives in the roll of honour than any other club.
The ranking – compiled by Football Talent Scout – has all three in the Top 10, with Martinelli at number six following his fine first season in the Arsenal front line, followed by Saka and Saliba at nine and ten respectively.
