Konstantinos Mavropanos is not prepared to give up on playing for Arsenal despite interest from current club Stuttgart.
The defender is on loan at the Bundesliga outfit and they are keen to retain his services.
But a further loan switch is all that remains on the table with Mavropanos not ready to quit the Gunners, reports Bild.
The Greek international has struggled with injuries which has hampered his development at the Emirates.
As a result Mavropanos has only made eight appearances for the Gunners since being signed by the club's former chief Sven Mistlintat.
He is now Stuttgart's sporting director and has not hidden his admiration for the 23-year-old whom he believes is destined for big things.
"He has all the hardware and all the software to be a great defender," Mistlintat told the Athletic. "He has been unfortunate, he’s got a lot of injuries.
"A pubic bone inflammation kept him out more or less for one and a half years. The moment we thought we could play him, he tore his meniscus.
"It’s important for us to get him fully match fit. If he can stabilise physically, he’s undoubtedly a Bundesliga-level defender.
"He’s one of the fastest centre-backs in the league alongside Dayot Upamecano. A super guy, a model professional.
"You have to admire his energy, all the strength it took to get over his injuries. We’re super happy that he’s been a regular starter in recent weeks.
"We would like to keep him on loan one more season, if possible. But that will be down to Arsenal."
A new centre-half could be on Mikel Arteta's wishlist come the summer and the Spaniard is keeping tabs on Mavropanos as well as William Saliba.
He said last week: "It’s good news that they are playing and it’s good news that they have the possibility to have a lot of minutes because that’s going to give us a much better perception of where they are and how we can use them."
