Arteta insists Gabriel is NOT for sale amid strong interest from Madrid & Saudi

Mikel Arteta has ruled out an exit for defender Gabriel following his relegation to the Arsenal bench and interest from clubs in Europe and Saudi Arabia.

The Gunners boss watched his side battle to a hard-fought 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on Monday night thanks for a second-half penalty from skipper Martin Odegaard.

Having gone down to ten men after the dismissal of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Gabriel - who has been a mainstay in the team under Arteta - came on to shore up the defence just as he did on the opening day against Nottingham Forest.

But despite his benching casting doubt on his long-term future at the Emirates, Arteta was adamant the move was simply tactical, insisting his recent absence from the starting line-up carried no greater meaning.

'Nothing at all. It’s about the games we were expecting,' he said post-match. 'How I wanted to defend and attack.

'I believe it was the best thing, he played in both games and helped us win both games. He was really good today when he came on, he was dominant and will play a lot of games.'

The Premier League challenges are likely to see their resolve tested in the coming days ahead of the close of the transfer window amid strong interest from Real Madrid and Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ittihad.

The Spanish giants are in a hurry to replace Eder Militao, who was ruled out for months last week with a cruciate ligament injury, and see his compatriot as a viable alternative.

Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad are also reportedly eyeing a deal for the 25-year-old defender.