Nasri: Arsenal move close

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Marseille chairman Pape Diouf has confirmed Samir Nasri is close to sealing a move to Arsenal.

Nasri claimed on Monday that he had joined Arsenal in a deal worth around £15million, but those claims were swiftly rubbished by his agent and both clubs.

However, Diouf has now told Marseille's official website that a deal for the France international, while not yet complete, was imminent.

Departure

Diouf said: "We know Samir Nasri's position. Under the (Andy) Webster ruling, he had the possibility of leaving the club for much less than the agreement we've reached today.

"After talks with him and his representatives, we've reached an agreement on the circumstances of his departure. Samir was approached in very concrete terms by Arsenal, who also contacted us.

"There are therefore steps that need to be taken to reach an agreement between the clubs.

"There is a strong chance he could play for (Arsenal) next season, but until the agreement is formalised we can't talk about any departure."

Article 17

Andy Webster made football transfer history when he was the first to use Fifa Article 17 to join Wigan.

That provided a mechanism for him to terminate his contract with Hearts in the third year of a four-year deal, with the proviso that he joined a club in a foreign federation and that 15 days' notice was given.

Webster has now left the Latics and recently signed a three-year deal back in the SPL with Rangers.