http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Samir-Nasri-c32360, the new Luka Modric
Chelsea become the latest side to join the race for Samir Nasri, the 24-year-old Arsenal playmaker. Manchester United and Manchester City were already chasing the versatile http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/France-c2899 international and will now face competition from the big spending London side.
Manchester United were initially the only side from the English Premier League interested in the Arsenal midfielder, with most of the other side’s eyeing Tottenham Hotspur Croatian playmaker http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Luka-Modric-c22857.
However, after a realization that Modric was not up for sale with Spurs boss Harry Redknapp claiming he was not prepared to sell the prized midfielder at any cost, most of the clubs have turned their attention to the French midfielder.
Nasri currently has just a year remaining on his contract and has made it clear that he wishes to leave the club. Since joining the club in the 2008-2009 season, Nasri has suffered great disappointment with the rest of the squad as they have failed to win
any silverware.
Nasri arrived from Ligue 1 side Marseille for a transfer fee of an estimated £14 million on a long term, four year deal. He has managed to score 27 goals and has provided 16 assists in 124 appearances for the Gunners.
The lack of trophies at the Emirates has urged the attacking midfielder c*m winger to look for a fresh challenge and the opportunity to win trophies elsewhere. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Arsenal-c38429 boss Arsene Wenger fears a mass exodus at the club during the summer transfer window and
is desperate to hold on to players.
The French manager reportedly offered Nasri an improved contract, a five year extension worth £90,000 a week deal. Nasri has rejected the deal and the talks with Arsenal have come to a standstill, indicating that the midfielder will most likely move away
in the summer.
Wenger could attempt and force the Frenchman to remain with Arsenal for another season, until his contract expires. However, he could stand the risk of losing Nasri on a free transfer next season if he insists on leaving the London club.
Nasri is worth an estimated £20 million but the price is expected to go up since the top Premier League sides are competing for his signature. Manchester United might back down, now that Manchester City and Chelsea have entered the bidding war.
Manchester City and Chelsea have been surprisingly quite in the summer transfer window so far, despite being linked to a host of players they have not yet bought anyone. Manchester United on the other hand, have already bought http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Phil-Jones-c29903
for inflated prices.
As things stand, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786 and Manchester City are favourites to sign the French playmaker even though it was the Red Devils who identified him as a possible target at the beginning of the transfer window. With two months remaining in the transfer window,
there is plenty of time for an extended bidding war.
Since his appointment as the new Chelsea manager, Andre Villas-Boas seems to be steering the Blues towards targets different from the ones they had initially identified. Replacing Modric with Nasri as a possible option in midfield is just one example of
this.
Having previously been linked with the likes of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fabio-c13152 Coentrao. If the Portuguese manager has his ways then the Blues would have Nasri
instead of the highly rated Modric.
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