Published: June 7, 2022 12:44 pm
Last Updated: June 7, 2022 12:46 pm
Manchester City sources have played down speculation linking Bukayo Saka with a potential move to the Etihad this summer, as his contract with Arsenal ticks into its final 2 years.
Reports suggested that the Cityzens were ‘ramping up their interest’ in the 20-year-old amid ongoing contract negotiations with the north London side, with the Daily Mail claiming that ‘though any move this summer is currently considered unlikely, City have begun showing increased interest in Saka at a critical point in Arsenal’s attempts to tie him down to a long-term contract.’
Bukayo Saka has recovered from a disappointing summer to become Arsenal’s focal point (Photo by Andrew Boyers – Pool/Getty Images)
However, as per the Manchester Evening News, this speculation is wide of the mark.
As per their information, ‘sources at the Etihad have indicated that – contrary to reports – the forward is not in their plans for this or subsequent transfer windows’.
This will come as a relief to Arsenal fans, who will be fearing for the future of their starboy until he pens a new deal in north London.
Leno a target for Hertha BSC
One man who does look likely to leave the Emirates this summer, however, is no.2 shot-stopper Bernd Leno, with Matt Turner already having arrived from the MLS as his replacement.
Arsenal are unlikely to get anything like the £25m that they shelled out for the German in 2019, and reports claim that the Gunners are demanding around £8.5m to let the goalkeeper depart. With one year left on his contract, and Leno desperate to see regular game-time to stake claim for Germany’s World Cup squad, even this may prove too much.
However, a return to Germany could be on the cards, with Hertha Berlin the latest side to show interest in the 30-year-old according to German outlet Bild.
Read more:
Arsenal betting odds next game:
Arsenal’s latest videos
RANKED | Granit Xhaka and Bernd Leno rank each others’ top 5 goals and saves!
Join Granit, Bernd and Frimmy as we sit down for another episode of RANKED!…
2022-03-29T15:35:53Z
2000 Premier League goals | Saka, Bergkamp, Henry, Wright & more!
Watch every single landmark goal for Arsenal in the Premier League era. All the…
2022-03-22T15:56:22Z
Premier League table
| † | Team | MP | d | p |
| 1 | Manchester City | 38 | 73 | 93 |
| 2 | Liverpool FC | 38 | 68 | 92 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 38 | 43 | 74 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 29 | 71 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | 38 | 13 | 69 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 38 | 0 | 58 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 38 | 9 | 56 |
| 8 | Leicester City | 38 | 3 | 52 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 38 | -2 | 51 |
| 10 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 38 | -5 | 51 |
| 11 | Newcastle United | 38 | -18 | 49 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 38 | 4 | 48 |
| 13 | Brentford FC | 38 | -8 | 46 |
| 14 | Aston Villa | 38 | -2 | 45 |
| 15 | Southampton FC | 38 | -24 | 40 |
| 16 | Everton FC | 38 | -23 | 39 |
| 17 | Leeds United | 38 | -37 | 38 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | 38 | -19 | 35 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 38 | -43 | 23 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 38 | -61 | 22 |
| player | Team | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 23 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 23 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 18 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 16 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | 15 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 14 |
| Sterling, Raheem | Manchester City | 13 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 12 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 12 |
| Toney, Ivano | Brentford FC | 12 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 11 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 11 |
| Mahrez, Riyadh | Manchester City | 11 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 11 |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | 11 |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | 11 |
| Watkins, Ollie | Aston Villa | 11 |
| player | Team | Red Cards | Yellow Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 11 |
| Xhaka, Granite | Arsenal FC | 1 | 10 |
| Tarkowski, Jameso | Burnley FC | 0 | 11 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 11 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 10 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 10 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 10 |
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | 10 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Neves, Reuben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 9 |
| Rudiger, Antonio | Chelsea FC | 0 | 9 |
| McTominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Toney, Ivano | Brentford FC | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Richarlison | Everton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paulo | Manchester United | 1 | 7 |
| player | Team | assists |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 13 |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | 12 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 11 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 10 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 10 |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | 10 |
| Maddison, James | Leicester City | 9 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 9 |
| Pogba, Paulo | Manchester United | 9 |
| Cancelo, Joao | Manchester City | 9 |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | Manchester City | 8 |
| Jesus, Gabriel | Manchester City | 8 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 8 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 7 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Antonio, Mikhail | West Ham United | 7 |
| Lacazette, Alexandre | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
Arsenal betting odds next game: