Massimiliano Allegri has told Arsenal that he has no intention of returning to management until next summer, after the Gunners had informal contact with him.
Arsenal are on the lookout for a new manager after they sacked Unai Emery on Friday morning and installed Freddie Ljungberg as interim manager for the time being.
The Gunners are not in a rush to make a permanent appointment, but the club have been sounding out options even before they decided to sack the Spaniard.
Allegri has emerged as a strong contender to become the Arsenal boss and it has been claimed that the club have been in informal contact with the former Juventus coach.
But according to Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport, the 52-year-old let the Gunners know he is not ready to break his self-imposed sabbatical.
He is not interested in taking charge of a club in the middle of the season and wants to wait until next summer to return to the technical area.
Tottenham also got in touch with Allegri after sacking Mauricio Pochettino and they received the same response as their north London rivals.
Wolves coach Nuno Espirito Santo is believed to be one of the top contenders to become the next Arsenal manager.
