Chelsea and Man Utd pull out leaving Man City to chase Nasri
Published:Arsene Wenger may have reassured the Arsenal fans yesterday with his comments surrounding Samir Nasri but Sir Alex Ferguson has contradicted his counterpart this morning.
“I don’t think he is coming to United,” said Ferguson. “That’s all I can tell you, I think he has agreed to go somewhere else.”
Manchester United have had offers of £18m and £20m turned down by Arsenal after Feguson identified the Frenchman as a replacement for Paul Scholes, but competition from Manchester City and Chelsea has seen the Manchester United manager admit defeat.
The news that Michael Essien is out for six months means Andre Villas-Boas is in the market for extra cover in midfield, but it seems Luka Modric is favoured over Nasri after Chelsea upped their offer for the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder.
Whether or not Tottenham accept any sort of offer for Modric remains to be seen but Chelsea’s decision to target the Croatian leaves Manchester City free to make a move for Nasri.
The Citizens reportedly had a £19m bid for Nasri rejected by Arsenal last week but the Manchester City board can offer Nasri wages way beyond any deal that the Arsenal board can offer and that could be what tempts Nasri to Eastlands.
“There is always speculation when the player has a one-year contract to go and has not signed a new contract that he might leave,” said Wenger yesterday.
“But Samir Nasri is very happy at the club and he is committed to stay.”
With no word from the player yet it’s difficult to take Wenger’s words at face value although Nasri was signing shirts for fans in Malaysia yesterday.
The future of the Frenchman remains uncertain although Arsenal fans can be buoyed by the activity of other clubs, but the smart money would be on Nasri not being an Arsenal player next season.
