Chelsea are understood to be considering a January swoop for Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey, Caught Offside understand.
The Ghanaian wonderkid scored his first La Liga goal on Saturday as Diego Simeone’s Atleti defeated strugglers Levante 1-0 to go top of the Spanish table. With Barcelona being held 0-0 by Espanyol, and Real Madrid only managing a 2-2 draw at Valencia, the win extends Atletico’s lead at the pinnacle of the table.
Partey has made the most of injury to his teammates to earn playing time in recent weeks, and has made the most of his opportunity with a finely struck effort nine minutes before the end of the match.
The powerhouse midfielder spent last season on loan at Almeria, starring even if he couldn’t help the Rojiblancos avoid relegation.
While he did enough to convince Simeone to keep him on board this season, the Argentine coach may have a difficult decision to make, with Chelsea understood to be keen on the Ghanaian international.
The Blues enjoyed the best years of Michael Essien’s career—with the Bison winning the Champions League and numerous other honours at Stamford Bridge—and Partey could be being lined up as the Black Star’s long-term successor in west London.
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With both Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge, Partey could move to the Premier League now and would enjoy the time to adapt during this transitional season, before the Blues look to regain their title next season.