Henrikh Mkhitaryan didn’t send a message to Arsenal that his time in London is over, according to the player’s agent Mino Raiola.

Mino Raiola, agent to Henrikh Mkhitaryan, insists his client didn’t send a message to Arsenal this week.

Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport claimed the player said: “My time in London is over. I hope you manage to find an agreement with Roma because my desire is to remain.”

However, according to Raiola, that’s not the case. He posted on Twitter to refute the claims.

“Mkhitaryan did not send any message to Arsenal. [Especially] in times like these, fake news are completely unacceptable.”

The quotes did seem suspicious from the start. It was strange that they seemed to be quoting a message sent directly to Arsenal, which would surely be private. They also hinted that this was just the gist of the speech.

Personally, I’d argue that means they shouldn’t put it in quote marks. Particularly in a paragraph including genuine quotes from Paulo Fonseca. It almost comes off like an attempt to legitimise their made-up quotes.

The end result is that we’re back to square one. If the quotes were genuine, it seemed like only a matter of time before the transfer went through. If someone wants to leave so badly they’ll say it publicly, the two clubs normally try and find a compromise.

Instead, it looks like we’re gearing up for another protracted saga with no obvious resolution. My favourite kind.