Arsenal news: Declan Rice disagreement emerges as manager declares target unlikely to stay

Arsenal will be looking to go back top of the Premier League this Saturday after they were officially dethroned from the summit in midweek. Manchester City 's win at Burnley on Wednesday not only relegated the Clarets from England's top flight but lifted them to the peak in the process . Still, the title race is very much alive and well between the top pair with five games left to play. The Gunners can at least temporarily reclaim first place with a home win over Newcastle when City will be distracted by their FA Cup semi-final against Southampton . It can't be considered all doom and gloom for that reason, even if Mikel Arteta 's side are seriously lacking form. And there's mixed news to uncover both on and off the field as Mirror Football dissects the latest headlines around the Emirates. FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook page In the face of defeat to City last Sunday, there was one on the Etihad turf refusing to accept the title race is over. Declan Rice could be seen telling team-mates the title conversation is "not done" in a defiant refusal to simply roll over and accept fate. City boss Pep Guardiola viewed Rice's comments as a sign of Arsenal's strong mental resolve and that the title race is not over. Manchester United icons Roy Keane and Gary Neville see things differently, however, no matter how embattled Rice may have looked. And neither see the Gunners squad as being capable of putting City off their pace at this late stage. Discussing the incident on Stick to Football , Neville said: "No, if I was watching Declan Rice nearly in tears, and saying it's not done, I'd be thinking you're done. 'It's not done, It's not done.' I look at him and think he's done... "It's a good response, I'm just saying I didn't feel confident. I'm a big fan of his and I said potentially last week that he would grip that game." To that, Keane abruptly responded: "And did he? Did he?" To which Neville replied that it was instead the City pairing of Rodri and Bernardo Silva who controlled matters. Adding to the pile-on, Keane continued: "Exactly, exactly. You have to win that middle-of-the-park battle." Guardiola was a fan of Rice's attitude and said it summed up precisely why Arsenal are in the title struggle at all. However, it's difficult to argue against the notion that the Premier League now looks like City's to lose in the coming weeks. On the transfer front, Arteta has been handed a boost in his purported pursuit of Celta Vigo's Oscar Mingueza . His fellow Barcelona academy graduate is out of contract in the summer and is reportedly being tracked by a number of admirers, including Arsenal. Mingueza, who can play anywhere in defence, is understood to be attracting the attention of Aston Villa and Fulham . However, The Telegraph recently reported the Gunners view him as an ideal replacement for Ben White if he moves on this summer. And while Celta may have visions of extending the player's commitment at Balaidos, manager Claudio Giraldez doesn't appear very hopeful. "He’s a fantastic player. He has a tremendous personality," he told Sport during a discussion about the player and his future in Vigo beyond this summer. "I hope he can stay. But we know it will be difficult to keep him. "I hope he can have a great career because he still has a lot of room for improvement. I like him a lot." Minguez, 26, was on the books at Barcelona until 2022 when he joined Celta for around £2.5million. However, his value has risen considerably since then, with Transfermarkt rating the player as being worth closer to £15m these days. A versatile ex-Barca prospect with a good age profile on a free transfer sounds like an easy decision to make on paper. And Giraldez's comments should inspire Arsenal that there's a deal to be done should they desire. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.