Barcelona, Aug 25 (IANS): Barcelona defender Gerard Pique has jokingly turned down a move to Arsenal, but urged the English football club's chief coach Arsene Wenger to sign "quality" stoppers.

The Barcelona centre-back was conducting a question-and-answer session on Twitter when well-known Arsenal fan Piers Morgan pleaded for him to join the London club.

Unfortunately for Piers, and other hopeful Arsenal fans, the 2010 World Cup winner insisted he is unlikely to move to north London in the near future, but agreed that Wenger must loosen the purse strings and invest in a reliable defender.

“Will you sign for Arsenal & put us out of our defensive misery?#AskPique @3gerardpique,” Morgan asked Pique in twitter.

“It's very very difficult Piers. Ask your 'friend' Arsene to buy quality defenders!” Pique replied by tweeting back on Thursday.

Arsenal have been heavily linked with Valencia centre-back Shkodran Mustafi, though head coach Pako Ayestaran ruled out a summer exit for his player earlier this week.

Former Manchester United defender Jonny Evans, now at West Brom, is also a reported target as Wenger continues to search the market for players to bolster his squad having made just one addition to his first-team squad thus far.