Thomas Tuchel has quelled talk of a Paris Saint-Germain pursuit of Matteo Guendouzi, offering a blunt 'no' when asked if his side were chasing a summer deal.
A trademark petulant display in Arsenal's defeat to Brighton back in June proved to be the straw that broke the camel's back for Mikel Arteta, who has made the midfielder train away from the first team ever since.
Guendouzi has not even made an Arsenal matchday squad since that June clash, with the club placing the 21-year-old on the transfer list as they look to raise funds to pursue targets this window.It's been speculated that PSG could be in for the youngster, in a move that would see Gurndouzi reunited with the side he previously spent nine years with as a youth player. Tuchel, speaking after his side's disappointing 1-0 defeat to Lens, made his feelings clear on this apparent interest.
"Matteo Guendouzi from Arsenal? No," he said, via RMC Sport. Tuchel did, however, confirm a move is set to take place for right-back Alessandro Florenzi, one that will end their interest in fellow Arsenal player, Hector Bellerin, who now looks set to remain in north London.
In regards to Guendouzi, this now means the Gunners will need to look elsewhere in order to shift the outcast midfielder, although the task is proving harder than Arteta would have envisaged before the window opened.
L'Equipe claim that the Frenchman is of interest to Atlético Madrid, an intriguing development considering that the Gunners have been heavily linked with the Rojiblancos' Thomas Partey for over a year now.
In the meantime, Guendouzi was recently spotted back training with the senior Arsenal team for the first time, a move that could either indicate he remains in Arteta's plans, or is merely a ploy to entice potential suitors.
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Source : 90min