Mikel Arteta breaks silence on links to Barcelona job

Mikel Arteta on links with Barcelona and his decision to leave Arsenal in June: “Fake news. Totally fake news”. “I don’t know where it is coming from. It is totally untrue.

“I am really upset about it. I could not believe it. No source, nothing”.

Xavi confirmed after Barca's 5-3 defeat against Villarreal on Saturday that he will leave the club at the end of the season - less than 12 months since winning the La Liga title.

However, the Catalan side now sit fourth, 11 points behind leaders Girona and Xavi has decided to step down this summer.

Reports in Spain then suggested on Sunday that Arteta would join Barcelona and replace Xavi at the helm.

Mikel Arteta's stance on leaving Arsenal for Barcelona revealed (reliability: 4 stars)