Everton chairman Bill Kenwright is confident Mikel Arteta will be at the club next season after revealing they have held talks over the summer.
Reports have suggested the Spanish schemer is looking to head back to his homeland this summer after seeing his one-year-old son, Gabriel, diagnosed as being partially sighted.
That appeared to spell the end of Arteta's spell at Goodison Park and also the chances the likes of Arsenal had of tempting the 28-year-old away from Merseyside.
Kenwright, though, is confident he and David Moyes can convince jo, to stay put.
"It is true that David and myself have spoken to Mikel on a couple of occasions this summer and tried to persuade him his future lies with us," Kenwright said in the Liverpool Echo.
"We earnestly believe that is still the case. The health of Gabriel has never been mentioned in these discussions."
