Arsenal target Clement Grenier denies transfer request

Clement Grenier has insisted that he has never asked to leave Lyon in order to secure a move away.

The French playmaker, who signed a contract extension with Les Gones is the summer, has yet again been linked with a move to Premier League leaders Arsenal over the past few weeks, but denies requesting to depart the Stade de Gerland during the January transfer window.

"I just responded to a fan who asked me if I would stay in Lyon for my career," Grenier told Le Parisien.

"I just said, 'In football, everything goes very fast - if I say yes and I go this winter, you'll take me for a fool'.

"This response has been misinterpreted. A departure is not in my head for this transfer window and I have not asked to leave."

Grenier signed his first professional deal with Lyon in 2009 after spending seven years in the club's youth system.