Atletico Madrid want to double Thomas Partey's salary in an attempt to end Arsenal's pursuit of the midfielder, claims The Guardian.
Partey's current deal is not due to expire until the summer of 2023 but Atletico are desperate to reward the midfielder with improved terms.
The 26-year-old has emerged as a top transfer target for Arsenal and his current release clause of €50m (£43.6m) leaves them in a vulnerable position.
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta is desperate to land Partey and is reportedly even considering sending former Atletico target Alexandre Lacazette in the opposite direction.
However, Atletico have already made their move to secure Partey's long-term future by tabling a five-year deal that would double his current £65,000-a-week salary.
The proposed terms on the table would also see Partey's release clause increase to around €100m (£87.2m) to all but end Arsenal's pursuit.
Partey has been in and around the first-team set up at Atletico since the 2015/16 campaign but has had to be patient for regular playing time.
In competition with fan favourites Saul, Koke and Gabi down the years, Partey has often found himself on the bench but he is now emerging as a key player for Diego Simeone.
While Partey has been an overriding success this season, most notably during Atletico's knockout stage win over Liverpool in the Champions League, he still has aspects of his game to work on.
In fact, Partey has committed the most errors directly leading to an opposition shot in LaLiga this season (6).
