Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that Ashley Cole could leave the club this summer.

The 25-year-old England left-back has been constantly linked with a transfer to Chelsea in recent weeks, and following their sale of Asier del Horno to Valencia, speculation has intensified.

Wenger told the Daily Mirror: “If you want me to guarantee he will be here next season I cannot do it.

“He has only two years left on his contract. We have not made any movement there and when you have a player in that situation you cannot say much.

“There is nothing going on with Ashley at the moment,” Wenger stated. “There is no offer and we are not talking to anybody about him.”

Cole’s relationship with Arsenal has deteriorated in recent months and in his forthcoming biography, the defender criticised the clubfor making him a “scapegoat” over last year’s tapping-up affair with Chelsea.

With Chelsea reported to be offering £12m for the full-back and Arsenal looking for £20m, a compromise figure of £16m could secure the deal.