Here are your Arsenal morning headlines for Thursday, July 30.
Agent labels Sokratis departure as ‘fake news’
The agent of Sokratis Papastathopoulos has said rumours linking the Arsenal centre-back with a move away from the club are unfounded.
It has been widely reported that the 32-year-old is no longer in Mikel Arteta’s plans ahead of the new season but his agent, Konstantinos Farras, has reiterated that he sees no reason for Sokratis to leave the club.
He labelled any talk of him leaving north London “fake news” and insisted the defender has a future at the Emirates Stadium.
Farras told Star Sports: “He will stay, I don’t see a reason to leave.
“I don’t know why everyone is writing wrong and fake news.”
Arteta calls upon four youngsters for training before FA Cup final
Arsenal have been training in high spirits ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup final against London rivals Chelsea.
The cup final will mark the end of a gruelling season for the Gunners with one last chance to make a case for their individual causes before next season.
During training at the club’s base on Wednesday, multiple promising youngsters were spotted training with the first team - including Matt Smith, Harry Clarke, Daniel Ballard and Karl Jakob Hein.
While none of those players are likely to feature on the pitch come Saturday, inclusion in training and possibly the matchday squad could be the biggest indicators yet that Arteta has faith in younger players at the club.
Transfer funds are expected to be tight this summer and so developing youth could be a cost effective way for Arsenal to improve their squad options.
Gunners register interest in Grealish - report
Arsenal have reportedly registered their interest in signing Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish in this summer transfer window.
According to Sky Sports, the Gunners have submitted their interest in the Villa captain, who is believed to have an £80million price tag.
Such a high fee could make a switch to the Emirates Stadium unlikely, with other Premier League clubs also reportedly keen on signing the attacking midfielder.
Speculative reports about the future of Grealish indicates that his future could be one of the main transfer sagas of this window, yet Arsenal’s chances of signing him remains to be in the preliminary stages of initial interest.
