Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey urged by teammate to join Arsenal

Thomas Partey has been urged by Ghana international teammate Joseph Attamah to further his career by swapping Atletico Madrid for Arsenal.

The Gunners have been strongly linked with the 26-year-old in recent weeks and have already held initial talks, as confirmed by the player's father in April.

Partey has enjoyed another impressive campaign for Atletico and is believed to have a €50m (£44m) release clause in his contract.

Attamah, who plies his trade for Turkish side Fatih Karagumruk, hopes to see his compatriot join Premier League side Arsenal in the coming months.

"I will be happy if he goes to Arsenal," he told Citi TV. "He has done everything at Atletico and is recognised as one of their best players.

"He also has to go to a different league to prove himself. He needs people to know that he is capable of succeeding in other places and not only in Spain."

Partey has managed 3.6 tackles per game in the Champions League this term, in addition to 1.5 interceptions.

Click here to see how he compares to Arsenal's current crop of midfielders.