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Football London
Football London
Sport
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne

Arsenal news: Kolasinac injury blow, Lacazette denies agreement, Aubameyang on contract rumours

For the final time this month, it's matchday for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta.

With the side not in Premier League action this weekeend - due to Manchester City being in Carabao Cup final action - there will be a brief period of rest before facing Portsmouth in the fifth round of the FA Cup next Monday night.

But first, there's Europa League business to take care of. Holding a 1-0 lead from the round of 32 first-leg clash against Olympiacos from seven days ago, the Gunners know a victory or a draw will be enough to progress.

They go into the game on the back of a 3-2 home win over Everton last time out and will be aiming to extend their unbeaten run across all competitions in 2020.

As ever, football.london will have all the build-up to the game as the Gunners look to book their place in the round of 16 draw which takes place tomorrow.

With that said, here's all the news from around the Emirates Stadium over the past 24 hours.

Kolasinac injury blow

Sead Kolasinac is one of four players who will certainly not feature tonight because of injury.

The left-back had to be substituted in the first-half against the Toffees last weekend and the worst fears over a potential shoulder problem have been confirmed.

A statement via the club's official website reads: "Right shoulder. Sead suffered a significant right shoulder injury during Everton (h) on Sunday.

Sead Kolasinac leaves the pitch injured during Arsenal's 3-2 win over Everton (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

"He will undergo further specialist assessments during this week."

Kolasinac joins long-term injury casualty Calum Chambers on the sidelines and it remains to be seen if the Bosnia and Herzegovina international returns to action before the end of the season.

Meanwhile, Cedric Soares and Kieran Tierney are also unavailable for the second leg, but are aiming to return to full training within the next couple of days.

Arteta press conference transcript

The Arsenal head coach spoke to the media at London Colney yesterday afternoon and one of the main talking points was the performance in the first-leg and looking ahead to today's game.

"I was very pleased with the performance in general apart from the first 10 minutes when we had some issues to control defensively in the final third in some situations and as well when we gave the ball away in difficult areas when we could progress our play and become dangerous.

"Apart from that the team played with a lot of personality in a very difficult stadium against a good opponent with a great record in their own stadium.

Mikel Arteta speaking ahead of Olympiacos (Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)

"We managed to score and win which is a positive thing too."

Full transcript .

Lacazette addresses rumours

Alexandre Lacazette has dismisssed rumours that he could leave Arsenal in the summer transfer window if Champions League football is not secured.

The Times reported that the Frenchman has an agreement in place with the Gunners that they will let him leave should they not finish in the top five positions at the end of the season.

Lacazette has two-years remaining on his contract at the Emirates Stadium and was linked with a move to Atletico Madrid during the January transfer window.

Alexandre Lacazette celebrates scoring Arsenal's winner vs Olympiacos in the Europa League round of 32 first leg (Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)

And with the north London outfit by no means guaranteed to be back at Europe's top table next term, there's suggestions that the 28-year-old will be on his way out in the summer.

However, that doesn't appear to be the case.

"I didn’t know about this (the contract reports)," he said. "I have a contract with the club so there is no point for me to leave.”

Aubameyang contract update

Another Arsenal striker being linked with a summer exit is top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The Gunners captain, who was linked with a move to Barcelona in the January transfer window, will have just over a year left on his contract when the season concludes which means the risk is that he could leave on a free in the summer of 2021.

According to the Mirror, Arsenal are ready to re-open contract negotiations with the 30-year-old, but the player wants to wait to see if the club will be playing in the Champions League next season before committing his future.

Amid those reports, Aubameyang has used social media to issue a response.

"Why they Talk about what they don’t Know," the striker wrote on his Twitter account with a shrugging emoji.

Aubameyang has made an impact at the Emirates Stadium since joining from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, scoring 60 goals and providing 13 assists in 95 appearances for the club.

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