With speculation increasing over Arsenal making summer moves for Maxime Gonalons and Clement Grenier, Lyon manager Remi Garde hopes the two talented youngsters remain with the French club.
Arsenal are looking to bring in a defensive midfielder in the summer and have identified Gonalons as one of the prime candidates.
The French international had another excellent season in the French league and has been tipped to leave Lyon in the summer.
Arsenal have reportedly made contact with Lyon over a move for Gonalons and hope to seal a deal for the 24-year-old soon with a £10 million ($15 million) fee mooted.
Grenier is another Lyon player who has caught the attention of Arsene Wenger, with the Arsenal manager admitting his admiration for the playmaker.
Garde, a former Arsenal player who played under Wenger, however, wants both his standout players to stay with Lyon as he looks to build the team around the duo.
"There are stories about some players leaving the club," Garde told L'Equipe. "The last few years we have won the Coupe de France and finished third in the league.
"Am I keen to accept the transfer of Gonalons and Grenier? No, because they are exactly in our project and I want to build the team around them.
"If Grenier achieved such a level it is because he has worked so hard.
"We have been much more demanding with him like all our young players. But, he convinced everyone, he did everything to be at the core of our project in the coming years."
Meanwhile, Arsenal skipper Thomas Vermaelen has moved to quell speculation over a possible move away from the Emirates in the summer.
Vermaelen lost his starting place to Laurent Koscielny in the final couple of months of the season, and has been tipped to leave if the club receive a good offer.
However, Wenger has always maintained his faith in the player, even if he might have dropped him and Vermaelen himself believes he will be an Arsenal player come next season and is confident of a turnaround of fortunes.
"I'm happy at Arsenal," he told Ad.nl. "I didn't play much and that was frustrating, but things can turn around quickly.
"I was on the bench, but I could just as quickly be playing again. I'm working hard to make that happen.
"These are things that happen in professional football. Arsenal are a great club where there is a lot of competition."
