Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has insisted that club captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is happy at the club amid ongoing speculation regarding his long term future with the north London based club.

The Gabon national team striker has a contract with Arsenal until the end of next season and has been linked with moves to several other clubs including Inter and Barcelona among others.

“I’ve always been very positive about it [his future] but I don’t have the key of the future and in football anything can happen,” Arteta explained to the media ahead of Arsenal’s FA Cup semi final against Manchester City on Saturday night.

“I see his reaction, I see how he’s trained every day. I know that he’s happy, I talk to him a lot. If we are able to do it, I think we can do it and we know how important he is for the team.”

The Spaniard, who replaced Unai Emery as Gunners boss earlier on this season, also went on to seemingly rule out Alexandre Lacazette leaving the club.

The Frenchman, like Aubameyang, has also been linked with Inter among other clubs in recent weeks and months.

“He’s the type of striker that I really like. I think he has periods where he was very unlucky because he was having the chances and not converting which he is not used to.

“But the way he can link play, he’s a massive competitor, he hates to lose, he goes for every ball. You see in every challenge how he’s ready to go, how hard he works and he’s a very intelligent player. I am really happy with him.

“Why would I want to lose a player like him?! ‘I am really happy with him.”

This season Aubameyang has made 40 appearances across all competitions to date, in which he has scored 23 goals and provided two assists. Lacazette has meanwhile netted 12 goals and tallied six assists in 35 appearances this term.