Wenger: Alexis "not close" to joining Man City this summer
The Arsenal star was linked with a departure, with City the latest team to have come close to him, having a €65 million bid be accepted by the North London club.
The Gunners were looking to replace him with Thomas Lemar, who ended up staying at Monaco, hence scuppering the move.
'It was not very close, it's very difficult for me to speak about that because what I want now is the player to focus on his career, on his season and Arsenal,” Wenger told BEINSport.
'I always think first, make sure that my commitment is at the level that is expected from people paying me and have confidence in me. On the player's side it is exactly the same.'
'I can not tell you everything that happened because after you decide to let a player of that calibre go, you need to replace him because nobody would understand that you let the player go.
'When you can not do it you keep the player, and you make a financial sacrifice because at the end of the day what you want is to have a team with good potential and top quality.
The Gunners haven’t started the season very well, losing two out of three Premier League games.
@EdoDalmonte