Lyon attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir has dismissed speculation that he was close to leaving the Ligue One club in the January transfer window.
The Daily Star reported in November that the Gunners were looking to tie up a £60m deal for the French international, while Liverpool have also been linked with the 24 year old.
Speaking to magazine Onze Mundial (translated by Sports Illustrated), Fekir denied claims that he was looking to leave Lyon, but he didn’t rule out a transfer happening in the future:
“Yeah, I heard. I heard, but there was never anything concrete. We’ll see what the future holds. I’m at Lyon for now. I’m happy here. In football, you never know what can happen. It depends what the ball wants. You need to be prepared for anything.”
The signing of Henrikh Mkhitaryan from Manchester United, and the contract renewal of Mesut Ozil does make a bid from Arsenal for Fekir far more unlikely now.
However, the Frenchman has been prolific in front of goal this season with 19 goals in 28 appearances. At 24, he could yet be a future signing for the Gunners with both Mkhitaryan (29) and Ozil (29) five years older, and closer to the end of their careers.
