AC Milan say they have no intention of selling striker Andre Silva in the January transfer window, amid links with Arsenal.

Milan signed Silva from Porto in the summer for a fee around £34m. Since then, however, the move hasn’t quite worked for the Portuguese striker. Despite playing 12 Serie A games, he’s yet to score a goal. His eight goals for the club are all in the Europa League.

The 22-year-old was linked with Arsenal before, as Milan reportedly had financial troubles that could force them to sell. Milan’s sporting director, Massimiliano Mirabelli, has since ruled out a sale and has backed the striker’s talent.

“I know that Andre Silva is going through a difficult time, but he is a very important player for us,” Mirabelli told O Jogo.

“We have a special affection for him, he has a lot of talent and we want him to stay with us. Of course he’s going to be [with us] in January and I’m sure he’ll be with us for many, many years.”

Wolves have been linked with an extraordinary £34m bid for the player, but it’s unlikely he will be on his way to the Championship club this month.

Silva had been mooted as a potential Alexis Sanchez replacement despite being a very different type of player. He’s a centre forward, so he’d would be competition with Alexandre Lacazette and Olivier Giroud in Arsenal’s set-up.

Unless there was a pressing financial reason to sell, it doesn’t make much sense for Milan to let go of a player they invested so much money in just six months ago. Perhaps he could be a target in the summer when the situation is different.