'He's our player!' - Arsenal warned off Piero Hincapie as Bayer Leverkusen break silence on transfer reports

Arsenal are reportedly winning the race to sign the Leverkusen centre-back but according to Rolfes, no formal offer has been tabled and the Bundesliga outfit want to keep the 23-year-old this summer. A move for him may be contingent on Jakub Kiwior leaving the Emirates, too.

Rolfes told RTL/ntv and sport.de: "We still haven’t received an official offer from any club, so he’s our player. That’s the status quo. He knows that we value him highly and would like to see him continue with us."

Arsenal have already spent nearly €300 million (£258m) on players so far this summer but reports that Hincapie was set to join Mikel Arteta's team appear to be wide of the mark. The Gunners are aiming to end their 21-year wait for a Premier League title but they may have to do it without the Leverkusen star.

With less than a week to go of the summer transfer window, Arsenal could yet make their move for the versatile defender.

Incidentally, Rolfes added: "The transfer window is still open until Monday evening. So the probability is high that something will still happen."