Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes has distanced himself from any talk linking the Brazilian with a move to La Liga titans Barcelona in the summer.
The 24-year-old has insisted he is "happy" with the Gunners and "feels at home" in North London despite the recent rumours. Having joined Arsenal before the start of last term, Gabriel has enjoyed a solid second season in a Gunners shirt and has formed a stellar partnership alongside £50million man Benjamin White.
Arsenal have displayed the kind of defensive resilience this season that not many associate with Gunners sides' of years gone by and as a result Gabriel has attracted plenty of admirers. One of whom is Barcelona boss Xavi Hernandez, who is keen on bolstering his team's defence ahead of his first full-season at the helm.
However, the Spaniard may have quite the task on his hand trying to convince Gabriel to join if the defenders recent comments are anything to go by. The Arsenal star is convinced Mikel Arteta is building something worth sticking around for at the Emirates.
"Well in my first season I certainly learnt a lot, the Brazilian told Premier League predictions. "It’s been a real challenge here and I am more and more settled every day. I feel better and better with each passing game.
"At the same time, we know we all can’t be perfect in every match. We do make mistakes. But I feel good, I feel at home at Arsenal. It’s a great squad to be a part of and together I am sure we can achieve a lot. I am very happy here."
HAVE YOUR SAY! Will Arsenal finish fourth this season? Comment below
Whether Arsenal can achieve a top-four finish this term remains to be seen, but their hopes of securing Champions League football for next season have taken a significant dent over the last two weeks. The Gunners have endured back-to-back defeats at the hands of Crystal Palace and Brighton & Hove Albion.
The first came in the form of a 3-0 defeat at Selhurst Park in a contest that saw Gabriel suffer one of his worst performances in an Arsenal shirt, where he was at fault for the Eagles' second goal. As a result, the Gunners have been leapfrogged into fourth by fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Arsenal now languish in fifth three points adrift of Spurs in fourth, but Gabriel remains confident his side can turn things around before the season's end. "Reaching the top four is our aim, but we know how tough it will be," the defender added. "It’s a big challenge but I do believe we can get there. We are working hard and it’s the target we want to achieve. We have to stick together. We need to be focused to get good results."
