Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has revealed that the club will offer influential midfielder Thomas Partey a new contract at the end of the season.
Partey has been a key player for Arsenal this season with his impressive performances for the club.
He has been linked with a return to Atletico Madrid, while also been a subject of interest from Saudi Arabia
The Ghanian midfielder’s contract will expire at the end of the season, and Arteta has hinted that he will be offered a new deal while confirming that talks are ongoing.
Arteta said: “Yes, there is progress with all the players. I’ll leave that to [sporting director] Andrea [Berta] and the club to decide and to talk about.”
Pushed on whether the intention is to keep Partey, Arteta continued: “The intention is very clear. I’ll leave that to Andrea and the club to take a step forward.”
Partey is expected to be ruled out of the first leg of the semi-final clash against PSG.
Arteta is confident that the team will be able to cope with his absence against PSG.
He said: “We have a few options and we’re not going to give anything away. It was a night for the club that was great and that’s it. The best ones are still ahead and to come. We all have a big ambition and big objectives and we are in the right direction. But the next steps are going to be tough and we’re going to have to be at our best.”
The Gunners will be hoping to build on their impressive win against Real Madrid when they take on Ipswich Town on Sunday.
The hosts are fighting to beat the drop in their first return to the Premier League in over a decade.
Arteta is aware of the danger of playing a team fighting for their safety at this stage of the season.
He said: “I understand where they are at the moment and they’re playing at home and as you said, it’s one of the few chances that they have [to survive].
“But for us it’s a big game, we need to start to win football matches in the Premier League to at least maintain the position that we are in and to push into the last few games with some hope. And we know how tough it’s going to be.
“They are a really well-organised team. What Kieran McKenna and the staff have done is remarkable and you see every week how they perform and the amount of issues they give to opposition. So we expect a tough game.”
The Gunners are in the second position on the log with 13 points behind table-toppers Liverpool with six games to go.
