Arsenal ‘Make Bid’ For Premier League Captain, Thomas Partey Heading for Exit | OneFootball

As Thomas Partey inches towards an exit, Arsenal have reportedly tabled their first bid for Brentford midfielder Christian Nørgaard as his replacement.

Arsenal revealed at the start of June that talks with Partey over an extension to his contract were ongoing ahead of its expiration on June 30. However, it looks increasingly likely that the experienced midfielder will be allowed to leave after negotiations reportedly ground to a “standstill” over the subsequent weeks.

The Gunners’ were surprisingly credited with interest in Nørgaard earlier this month. It now appears that Arsenal have taken the next step in negotiations, putting forward an initial offer, as first reported by Danish outlet Bold. That opening bid was valued at £9.4 million ($12.8 million) by The Athletic and it remains to be seen how Brentford respond.

The Bees are famed for their transfer savvy but find themselves up against it this summer. After already losing their first-choice goalkeeper and manager Thomas Frank, Manchester United are increasingly desperate to snap up the club’s talismanic forward Bryan Mbeumo. Now the captain could also be on his way out.

Nørgaard is named as a target for Arsenal. / IMAGO/News Images

Nørgaard has a contract stretching until 2027 but at 31, it’s unlikely Brentford will be able to command a huge fee for the defensive midfielder. A reliable figure anchoring the middle of the pitch, the Denmark international’s first priority is stopping opposition attacks. Intriguingly, almost a fifth of all the Premier League goals he has scored have been against Arsenal.

Hailed as a “late bloomer” by his compatriot Thomas Frank, the former Brentford boss has always been full of praise for his defensive pillar. “I’m very, very pleased that he’s playing for Brentford,” Frank gushed back in 2021, shortly after Nørgaard marked his Premier League debut with a goal in a famous 2–0 victory against Arsenal.

“I think if you took him out and put him into Liverpool, and changed the two players, Fabinho and him, I don’t think you’d see much difference.”

Whether the swap of Partey and Nørgaard would be as seamless remains to be seen.