Sokratis Papastathopoulos has dismissed the rumours that Laurent Koscielny could be on the way out this summer, suggesting he thinks the centre-back will stay for many years yet.

In the build-up to the Europa League final, there’s been some speculation about the future of Arsenal’s captain. Koscielny has another year left on his deal with the club, but reports from France have suggested he’s seriously considering a summer exit.

When asked about the defender’s situation on Tuesday, Sokratis insisted their focus was fully on the game right now. However, he then went on to add that he doesn’t believe his teammate is going anywhere.

“I think that tomorrow, first of all, we have to think of winning the game,” Sokratis began. “I think Lolo (Koscielny) will stay a lot of years and I’m very happy I played with him, and I’ll be very happy if I continue to play with him.”

According to the previous reports about Koscielny’s future, Arsenal have opened initial talks over a contract extension, but they’re stalling on a formal offer. If they don’t make one soon, the 33-year-old is reportedly considering a departure.

If he does make up his mind to leave, Stade Rennais, AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen have all already shown an interest. For now, Koscielny just needs to focus on getting a win on Wednesday night. It may or may not be his final game for Arsenal, but it’s certainly one of the most important.