Arsenal have ruled out the sale of one squad member who has made just two Premier League starts this season.
With the Gunners challenging for the Premier League title once again, Mikel Arteta has been reluctant to rotate his starting XI too much this term.
Despite arguably under-utilising some players, though, Arsenal don't want those on the fringes to leave in the upcoming transfer window, with a busy second-half of the season to follow.
According to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato, Arsenal have made it clear that Jakub Kiwior is not for sale or even for loan in January, with Roma and AC Milan both interested in the Polish defender.
The 23-year-old only joined Arsenal last January for £20m from Spezia, and in that time he has made 16 appearances in England's top flight. Both Roma and AC Milan are said to have proposed loan deals in order to offer the Polish international more game time, but the Gunners have flat out refused any negotiations.
Kiwior has made just two Premier League starts this term, appearing off the bench on just two more occasions for a solitary minute in each game as Gabriel and William Saliba are preferred at centre-back.
But while Benjamin White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are more than capable of filling in at the centre of defence, Kiwior is essential for Arteta's squad depth in case either of Saliba or Gabriel pick up an injury or suspension. With the squad already light in that position, Arsenal can ill-afford to let Kiwior depart.
He also seems comfortable with his limited game time at the moment.
"I wanted to play minutes as soon as possible but I was told that I needed to be calm, that I needed time to settle in," Kiwior told Sky Sports in September.
"Those two months were important for me. It was a big change. I just tried to be focused in the training sessions and to get settled. The minutes eventually came, so it was a very valuable time."
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