Thomas Partey will not have Villarreal contract renewed, set to become free agent

Villarreal are not intending to renew Thomas Partey’s contract for a further season, leaving the player without a club from the end of this month.

The 33-year-old, who is currently at the World Cup with Ghana, signed a one-year deal with the Spanish side in the summer of 2025 after his departure from Arsenal, with the option of a further 12 months.

However, the La Liga club are not planning to take up their option in Partey’s deal and he is set to become a free agent.

Partey made 32 appearances for Villarreal last season, five of which came in the Champions League – including a return to north London to face Tottenham Hotspur in Sepetmber. In the 2025-26 season, Villarreal finished third in La Liga, their highest finish in 13 years.

Partey was charged in the UK with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault in July 2025. In September of that year, he pleaded not guilty. He was charged with two new counts of rape in February this year, to which he pleaded not guilty in April.

His trial at Southwark Crown Court is scheduled for June 2027. Partey denies any wrongdoing and his lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire of Hickman and Rose, has previously said in a statement that her client welcomes “the opportunity to finally clear his name”.

Villarreal’s decision to sign Partey drew criticism in Spain, the UK and elsewhere.

Club president Fernando Roig defended the move, saying in August: “The player finds himself in a legal process, he maintains his innocence and denies the accusations.

“It is for the British justice system to determine what happened. At the moment, Partey is as innocent as the rest of us here. Respecting the presumption of innocence is a fundamental value at Villarreal. ”

The Athletic reported in September that one well-placed source within the Villarreal dressing room said some players had expressed reservations about having Partey as a team-mate.

Last week, The Athletic exclusively revealed that Partey had been denied entry to Canada, meaning he would not be able to travel with team-mates to Toronto for Ghana’s game against Panama on June 17. A subsequent appeal to overturn Partey’s ban from entering the country was dismissed on Tuesday, meaning that he will play no part in Ghana’s 2026 World Cup opener.