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Samir Nasri admits Manchester United move is on his mind
SAMIR NASRI has risked his relationship with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger after admitting he would consider a move to Premier League rivals Manchester United.
The France international claimed he wanted to find out if interest from Sir Alex Ferguson “is real” and refused to be drawn on his contract negotiations with Arsenal, which have reached an impasse.
Samir Nasri has 12 months to run on his existing deal at the Emirates and his comments will only inflame tensions between player and manager.
“I don’t know if I will sign a new contract [at Arsenal]. Anyway, the discussions are ongoing,” said Nasri, in an interview with French TV station Telefoot.
“For the moment, I don’t think about this. We will speak about it after the match with Poland [in Warsaw tomorrow].
“Do I want to go to Man United? First, we should see if it’s real and if it is concrete.”
I don’t know if I will sign a new contract [at Arsenal]. Anyway, the discussions are ongoing
Ferguson is gearing up for a major summer of investment at Old Trafford and wants Nasri, who has been urged to make the move by France team-mate Patrice Evra, along with Tottenham’s Luka Modric.
Wenger has already stated that United will not get their hands on Nasri, who was signed for £15.8m from Marseille in the summer of 2008.
“One thing’s for sure: we are not selling him to Manchester United,” said Wenger. “Are we still in discussions? Yes, but we still can’t agree over the contract on offer, which we haven’t settled. We are still trying to extend his deal.”