Paris Saint Germain Midfielder Marco Verratti Unaware of Arsenal Interest

The agent of Paris Saint Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has played down reports linking the midfielder with a move to Arsenal.

The diminutive Italian left boyhood club Pescara for the Ligue 1 champions last summer for a modest fee of £12m and has immediately taken to life in Paris, playing an influential role in Laurent Blanc's midfield.

Despite having made 26 league appearances for PSG this season reports in the Italian media suggest Arsenal are growing confident of striking a deal worth £17m for the 21-year-old this summer.

But Veratti's agent insists there has been no contact from the Gunners. "I am not aware of any interest," Verratti's agent told calcionews24.com.

"Marco is happy at PSG."

A 3-1 win over West Ham United on Tuesday night saw Arsenal move back into fourth place in the Premier League at the expense of Everton – who take on Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

In the absence Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Aaron Ramsey – the latter two who started on the bench – Arsene Wenger fielded his oldest starting XI since May 2003. 27-year-old Olivier Giroud was the Gunners' youngest outfield player in a side that had an average age of 29.

But with a battle for the final Champions League qualification space expected to take a few more twists and turns in the final games of the season, Wenger believes the experience his side boasts will help them see off the challenge of Everton.

"It's down to consistency and we have just to focus on our results and see where we finish," Wenger told the club's official website. "The quality of our performances, the quality of our spirit and our focus [makes me think we can finish in the top four].

"Experience counts of course. But the difference will be the quality that you produce on the pitch and that is down to desire, to be faithful to our game we want to play, and get everybody back in our squad."