Thomas Partey transfer: Arsenal complete £45m signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder

Arsenal have completed the £45.4m signing of Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid after triggering the defensive midfielder’s release clause within just hours of Monday’s transfer deadline.

Partey, who was always keen on a move to the Premier League, had been one of Arsenal’s main targets throughout the summer transfer window. However, negotiations over a lower fee were consistently dismissed by Atletico, with doubts over whether Mikel Arteta’s side could afford a meet his €50m release clause.

But with Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira set to leave the club on loan - the latter joining Atletico - Arsenal reinitiated contact with Partey’s representatives over the weekend, and the 27-year-old Ghana international underwent the first stages of a medical in Madrid on Monday before flying to London to complete the deal.

The signing is a major coup for Arteta, with Partey widely recognised as one of the world’s best in the position after five years with Atletico’s first-team. He had been tracked by Arsenal for an extensive period, with the club always knowing they had until tonight’s deadline to return and trigger the clause, which they decided to do after a deal for Lyon’s Houssem Aouar collapsed.