Former Arsenal footballer Thomas Partey has been charged with two more counts of rape involving a new alleged victim.
The 32-year-old had already pleaded not guilty to five rape charges against two women and one count of sexual assault linked to a third woman, meaning he now faces allegations involving four women.
The two new charges relate to alleged offences from 2020, first reported to police last August following a Metropolitan Police investigation.
Partey will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 13 March for the first hearing on the new charges. He was granted conditional bail at Southwark Crown Court in September after pleading not guilty to the earlier charges.
The original alleged offences occurred between 2021 and 2022 while Partey played for Arsenal, with the charges coming four days after his contract expired in June. His trial is scheduled for 2 November under a High Court judge.
Since leaving the Premier League, Partey has been playing for Spanish club Villarreal on a one-year deal. He joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in October 2020 for £45.3m and made 130 Premier League appearances under Mikel Arteta.
Partey’s lawyer, Jenny Wiltshire, has said he denies all charges and looks forward to clearing his name.
