Nasri and Fabregas
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists Nasri and Fabregas will remain at the Emirates. REUTERS

Arsene Wenger has omitted both Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri from Arsenal's match day squad to face Newcastle on Saturday but denied reports the pair were poised to leave the club, insisting he does not expect any player to leave.

Fabregas and Nasri are reported to be on the brink of moves to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, however Wenger dismissed on-going speculation in his pre-match press conference on Friday.

"I expect nobody to leave the club," Wenger said. "At the moment there is no news. What we want today is to focus on the players who can help."

"[The transfer market is] Not as easy as people think it is. I'm not disappointed by Cesc's attitude or Samir Nasri's attitude."

Neither player has been included in the squad for Saturday's game against Newcastle, with reports suggesting Wenger has resigned himself to losing the pair.

However, the Frenchman said there was nothing suspicious about the pair's absence, saying:

"He [Nasri] has had a sickness. No other issue...Cesc is not injured, he's not match fit. I don't want to go any deeper than that."

Nasri and Fabregas
The Spanish press remains convinced Fabregas is on his way.

Nevertheless, reports in Friday's papers suggest that, privately at least, Wenger has conceded defeat in his efforts to keep the pair.

Negotiations are believed to remain on-going over both Fabregas and Nasri, with Wenger admitting on Thursday that he now expects Fabregas's future to be decided "very quickly".

Fabregas is finalising a £35m return to Barcelona while Nasri is close to a £23m deal with Manchester City.

A senior source at the club told BBC Sport that all funds generated by the sales will be reinvested in new players, with almost £60m potentially available to spend before the transfer window shuts in three weeks' time.

A bid for the Valencia winger Juan Mata is expected and negotiations are under way with Shaktar Donetsk over the possibility of signing the attacking midfielder Jadson.

Wenger also remains keen to bring in an additional centre-back, with a formal offer for Birmingham's Scott Dann expected this weekend.

Wenger is determined to strengthen his defence ahead of the new campaign and has been closely watching both Dann and Bolton's Gary Cahill.

However, Dann has been identified as Wenger's primary target after he admitted his interest in the 24-year-old.

"He [Dann] is one of the centre-backs we look at," Wenger told Arsenal's official website.

Lille forward Eden Hazard and Marseille's Mathieu Valbuena have also been linked with the club, as well as Real Madrid's Karim Benzema but all three have expressed a desire to remain with their respective clubs.

Instead, Wenger sent scouts to watch Anderlecht midfielder Lucas Biglia and Red Star Belgrade's Milan Vilotic last week.