LONDON, England, July 1-The agent of Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta has denied reports that his client is set for a move to Athletic Bilbao.
Reports in Spain have suggested that the 32-year-old, who is entering the final year of his contract with the Gunners, has been lined up as a replacement for Ander Herrera, who has joined Manchester United.
However, Arteta’s representative, Inaki Ibanez, has rubbished any such rumours, insisting that his client is happy in north London.
“This is totally false. Mikel has no interest in leaving Arsenal,” Ibanez told El Mundo Deportivo.
Arteta joined Arsenal from Everton in 2011 and has gone on to make 124 appearances for the club, scoring 15 goals.
Meanwhile, Arsenal are reportedly preparing a £12million bid for full-back Gregory van der Weil, who is thought to be deemed surplus to requirements at Paris Saint-Germain.
The Gunners are currently in the market for a right-back following the departure of Bacary Sagna to Manchester City, and have been linked with moves for Toulouse’s Serge Aurier and Mathieu Debuchy of Newcastle.
However, Arsene Wenger is thought to be a keen admirer of PSG’s talented 26-year-old, and the Ligue 1 champions are believed to be open to a deal, with Van der Weil having dropped down the pecking order at Parc des Princes towards the end of last season.
The defender managed 35 appearances for Les Parisiens on their way to the French title, although a series of injuries meant he fell out of favour in the business end of the campaign, which also led to his exclusion from the Netherlands squad currently at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
