Everton boss Roberto Martinez has played down talk of selling James McCarthy to Arsenal.
Fresh stories linking McCarthy with a move away from Goodison Park have emerged over the last few days, this time with the Gunners said to be interested in signing him in January.
Martinez said: "James is someone we rate very highly, otherwise you wouldn't have seen the sort of investment we made on him.
"We are delighted with his form and I've always believed he is a typical Everton player, can grow and can get better.
"He has a long-term contract and it was a huge investment.
"I always enjoy seeing good reports on our players, and I see the potential interest or the good compliments that can be paid towards James from the outside.
"But he is a player we look forward to seeing in the Everton top for a long, long time."
