Moussa Sissoko has told L'Equipe he "loves Arsenal" and suggested he will seek to leave Newcastle United to further his ambitions.
Sissoko, 25, may have only scored a single goal and recorded one assist in Newcastle's Premier League campaign this season, but the France international has made a significant contribution in helping Alan Pardew's men recover from their slow start to the season.
Though he is under contract at the north east club until 2019, Sissoko admitted he still has a soft spot for Arsenal, the team he supported as a boy growing up in the Paris suburbs.
He said: "When I was young, Arsenal were my favourite team. My idol played there: Patrick Vieira. I have always loved that club. I still love that club.
"There are always a lot of rumours. I don't pay much attention to them. I have an agent who looks after that. If something is to happen, it'll happen. If not..."
Pardew recently admitted Sissoko -- like Yohan Cabaye, who left for PSG in January 2014, before him -- would be a likely transfer target for the Premier League's biggest clubs.
The former Toulouse player conceded he may soon outgrow the opportunities offered him at St. James's Park.
"I'm ambitious. My aim is to play in the best clubs, play the Champions League, win trophies. But today, I'm a Magpie and I'm very happy," Sissoko said. "There haven't been any offers. So I'll be at Newcastle until the end of the season. After that, we'll see."