Juventus defender Stephan Lichtsteiner has insisted that his proposed move to Arsenal this summer is still not ready to be completed, even suggesting that there is still time for the plans to change.
Veteran full-back Lichtsteiner is out of contract at the end of the month and is thought to be close to signing for Arsenal on a free transfer. But fans got ahead of themselves over the weekend when a doctored image of him signing a contract was quickly shown to be fake.
Speaking about his future, Lichtsteiner is quoted by the Evening Standard as saying, “Nothing is finished yet.
He added, “As long as nothing is completed, that is always interesting in football. I think we all know that.”
The 34-year-old Swiss international has won league titles in each of the last seven seasons with Juve, making him one of the most decorated players of his generation. Prior to moving to Turin in 2011, he had also won a Coppa Italia with Lazio and the Swiss league with Grasshopper.
Lichtsteiner, who was also named Swiss Footballer of the Year as recently as 2015, would add much needed experience to an Arsenal squad looking to bounce back under the management of Unai Emery after a disastrous 2017/18 Premier League campaign.
Lichtsteiner would be able to count Switzerland colleague Granit Xhaka among his new club-mates in north London. The pair are currently preparing for the World Cup, with Switzerland set to kick off their tournament against Brazil on 17th June.