St Etienne's in-demand duo Blaise Matuidi and Mouhamadou Dabo, linked to Arsenal and Portsmouth, will not be leaving Les Verts according to coach Alain Perrin.
St Etienne sporting director Damien Comolli told Setanta.com in November that the young duo would not be allowed to move on, and Perrin has confirmed that the Premier League targets are to stay.
Highly rated France Under-21 defensive midfielder Matuidi has been a reported transfer target for The Gunners for a year, and Cesc Fabregas’ long absence has added fuel to fire.
Arsene Wenger is also believed to be monitoring Dabo’s situation, but former Portsmouth boss Perrin has said only striker Sebastien Grax could leave Le Chaudron in January.
Perrin told RMC: “Regarding departures, Sebastien Grax is allowed to move on because he deserves to play more.
“Matuidi and Dabo are not transferable; they said they don’t want to leave the club, which was useful to stop the rumours.
“They are going to finish the season with us.”