Samir Nasri has risked fracturing his relationship with Arsène Wenger by casting doubt over his readiness to sign a new contract at Arsenal this summer, with the France international suggesting he is also keen to discover whether Manchester United's interest in him is "concrete".
Wenger conceded last week that negotiations between the club and the player, a £15.8m signing from Marseille in the summer of 2008, are currently at an impasse over the financial terms on offer. Nasri is entering the final year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium and with three years of Premier League experience behind him, would be an attractive addition to United's option. Speculation that the champions would lodge a bid has been fanned by Patrice Evra urging the attacking midfielder to move to Old Trafford.
That prompted Wenger to say last week: "One thing's for sure, we're not selling him to Manchester United." Yet Nasri himself, when interviewed on TF1's Telefoot, appeared more open to the prospect. "Let's find out if their interest is true first, and then we'll talk about it," he said.
"I don't know if I will sign a new contract. Anyway, the discussions are on-going. For the moment, I don't want to think about this. We will speak about it after the match with Poland [on Tuesday]. Do I want to go to United? We should see if their interest is real and if it is concrete first."
Arsenal, who have Gaël Clichy in a similar position, had hoped to secure Nasri on a new five-year deal worth around £90,000 a week. Both players' contracts expire in the summer of 2012 and Wenger is unwilling to allow them to leave for nothing under the Bosman ruling, as Mathieu Flamini did for Milan three years ago.
Nasri played in France's 1-1 draw in Belarus on Friday and is expected to feature in Tuesday's friendly in Poland; talks will resume upon his return. Yet if no agreement is reached, the 23-year-old is likely to be available for around £10m, a figure well within his suitors' reach - Guardian UK
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