With the Basque midfielder not getting any younger, the north London club look set to bring in a replacement for the 32-year-old this summer, with these five players all possible new recruits ...
Read great Arsenal stories in Indonesian Bahasa! Arsenal berita.
Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich)
The word of late coming out of the Allianz Arena is that Martinez is far from happy with life at present with the Bundesliga champions, especially following the arrival of new head coach Pep Guardiola in Bavaria last summer.
And with the north Londoners armed with a massive transfer war chest, then manager Arsene Wenger should seriously think about trying to convince the 25-year-old to move to the Emirates for next season to replace his compatriot in the centre of the park for Arsenal next season.
Julian Draxler (Schalke 04)
The Gunners have been keeping close tabs on the highly rated Germany international for the past 12 months now, and even came close to landing Draxler during the January transfer window, only for the Premier League giants to be unable to come to a suitable agreement regarding a price for the player.
However, Arsenal are still expected to re-ignite their interest in the 20-year-old when the summer transfer window does reopen for business, although again, whether Wenger will be prepared to fork out the £33m needed to sign the Germany international still very much remains to be seen.
Morgan Schneiderlin (Southampton)
Another potential midfield replacement for Arteta at the Emirates next season and also another player that Wenger has sent his scouts to run their eye over in recent weeks with a view to signing Schneiderlin at some point this summer.
The coveted former France Under-21 international has just enjoyed a fine campaign protecting the Saints back four, with the 24-year-old’s game having moved up a level since the arrival of Mauricio Pochettino last January, and many see the player as being the ideal replacement for Arteta in the capital next season.
Sami Khedira (Real Madrid)
The Germany international may still be making his way back from the serious knee injury he sustained playing for his country in a friendly against Italy last November, however, Khedira is still expected to have recovered full fitness shortly.
And with the defensive midfielder’s current deal at the Santiago Bernabeu with now less than 18 months left on it to run, clubs across the continent are understood to be lining up to sign Khedira this summer, although again, Los Blancos’ £36m asking price could prove a major stumbling block for Arsenal.
Lars Bender (Bayer Leverkusen)
Another midfielder whose name has been consistently linked with the Gunners of late, with the 25-year-0ld one of the standout youngsters currently operating in the Bundesliga in his position.
In fact, the in-demand Germany international would seemingly be the perfect player to take over from the ageing Arteta at the heart if the Arsenal midfield in years to come, although there are no guarantees that Wenger and Co will be successful in persuading Leverkusen to part company with their starlet this summer.