ARSENAL will be out of action for the foreseeable future after the Premier League was put on hold when Mikel Arteta caught coronavirus.
But the Gunners will return to training on Tuesday once the 14-day self-isolation period has been completed.
Get all the latest Arsenal news and gossip here…
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PREM LATEST
Today's biggest story will be the Premier League meeting which is taking place at 10am and throughout the afternoon.
Stay tuned to this live blog for all the details as any new lines emerge.
SunSport's Charlie Wyett and Dan King have their fingers on the pulse and will break the best lines from inside the meeting.
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SAU US OFF
Arsenal are out of the race to sign Atletico Madrid star Saul Niguez, according to reports.
The two Manchester clubs, City and United, are in pole position to land the
The bitter rivals have both been linked with the Spaniard since 2018, but after Niguez failed to agree a new deal at the Wanda Metropolitano a Premier League switch has moved one step closer.
Niguez also signed with Stellar Group last year – the agency run by Gareth Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett – so the link between Niguez and England already exists.
Arsenal were also interested in the Spanish international in early 2019 but it is now a two horse race between Manchester’s biggest clubs, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo.
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IT'S ALL AUBA
Arsenal are becoming resigned to the fact that Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will enter the final year of his contract without agreeing a new deal.
Head of football Raul Sanllehi and technical director Edu want their £56million top-scorer to commit his long-term future to the club.
Barcelona, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are all keeping tabs on the situation.
The interested trio believe Aubameyang can be prised away for £35m this summer.
And they are determined to avoid a repeat of the scenario of two years ago, when Arsenal were panicked into awarding Mesut Ozil a £350,000-a-week deal to prevent him from running his contract down.
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MORNING, ARSENAL FANS
Much of the talk around the Emirates surrounds exciting superstars possibly at the opposite ends of their Arsenal careers.
The Gunners have reportedly told Barcelona that skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 30, would cost £50million, while Manchester United and PSG are also circling.
And Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s priority once his players return from self-isolation next week is said to be persuading 18-year-old Bukayo Saka to sign a long-term deal.
Spanish outlet SPORT claim the Gunners are resigned to losing Aubameyang after failing to agree a new contract as he enters the final year of his current deal.
Barca are tipped to renew their January interest in the summer transfer window, especially as the Gabon striker would be far cheaper than PSG’s Neymar or Inter Milan ace Lautaro Martinez.
As for Saka, top European clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are hovering for a wideman whose £3,000-a-week first professional deal has 15 months remaining.
It was Arteta contracting Covid-19 that forced the Gunners into quarantine.
But with the Spaniard recovering well, his thoughts have already turned to keeping arguably the Prem’s top British discovery of the season.
Unfortunately for Arteta, though, there is also heightening speculation Real Madrid will strengthen their interest in another Arsenal 18-year-old – frontman Gabriel Martinelli.
Reports in Spain suggest Bernabeu boss Zinedine Zidane has already weighed up a £70million bid for the Brazilian – with Emirates’ loan star Dani Ceballos possibly in part-exchange.
Meanwhile centre-back David Luiz is expected to extend his deal until the end of next term.
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NEW LU DEAL
Arsenal are ready to trigger the extension clause in ex-Chelsea centre-back David Luiz’s contract to keep him at the Emirates to 2021.
The Brazilian centre-back has emerged as a key figure in Mikel Arteta’s team.
Yet Luiz admitted he struggled to cope with mixed emotions in the immediate aftermath of his £8million arrival last summer.
He revealed: “I decided to leave Chelsea before I talked to Arsenal but when they came in for me two days later I said ‘OK, let’s do it’.
“But for the first three days with Arsenal it was not easy for me to digest all the emotions because everyone knows my history and connection with Chelsea was so massive.
“I was already missing everyone at Chelsea and every text message I received was from people saying ‘come back, we are here for you’.
“Those made it difficult because the heart is the most important thing but after that I was able to move on in a professional way.
“I started to adapt and now I am so happy with Arsenal. I want to do big things here.”
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