Alexis Sanchez and Hector Bellerin are among five players to be given extended holidays by Arsenal.

• Confederations Cup and U21 European Championships excursions have resulted in players being given extended break
• Their omission from the tour squad is not transfer related

Five players remain on holiday after their international excursions and have been excluded from Arsenal’s tour squad travelling to Australia and China as a result.

Alexis Sanchez and Shkodran Mustafi represented Chile and Germany respectively at the Confederations Cup, while Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Hector Bellerin were all involved in the U21 European Championships.

Players are usually given four weeks of rest after the end of the season. After making deep runs in their respective competition, those five players aren’t expected to return until the Emirates Cup at the end of July.

Alexis and Bellerin have both been heavily linked with Manchester City this summer. Inevitably, there’ll be reports claiming their omission from the tour squad as evidence of a imminent move.

However, it’s worth reiterating that the players are currently on holiday, as reported in the Standard, and there is unlikely to be any progress made on a deal in the meantime.