Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick failed to rule out Jerome Boateng leaving this January amid Arsenal's interest in him, but admitted he "can't imagine it".
The German centre-back has attracted attention from Arsenal in recent weeks, with the north London club looking at options to either sign the defender permanently or take him on loan until the end of the season.
A loan deal would likely suit the cash-strapped Gunners, and Bayern manager Flick failed to rule this out as a possibility, despite him expecting the defender to stay put.
"Jerome is a Bayern player," said Flick. "He has trained well during the winter break.
"I can't wait to see what the next few weeks will be like. I'm not worrying about if he'll leave the club or not. I can't imagine that at the moment."
Chelsea, meanwhile, have been linked with a move for David Alaba.
But Flick was a lot more assertive when asked if the Austrian could leave the German giants this January, saying: "Alaba is not for sale in the winter."
Arteta has hinted at making signings this January, but the Arsenal board have warned him he will not be handed huge funds this month.
The Gunners shelled out a whopping £140million in the summer window, in which they landed record signing £72million Nicolas Pepe.
Club chiefs want Arteta to work with the players at his disposal for the time being before presumably handing him funds in the summer of 2020.
