Arsenal will complete the £11 million signing of French Samir Nasri from Marseille early next week. The skilful, 20-year-old playmaker will fill the position soon to be vacated by Alexander Hleb, whose departure was confirmed by his agent, Nikolai Shpilevski, on Friday.
Nasri, who is expected to make a significant impact on this summer's European Championships, will sign a four-year deal with the north London club as Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger attempts to add depth to a squad which failed to keep pace with Manchester United and Chelsea in the final furlongs this season.
Nasri, 20, has undergone a medical, agreed a four-year contract and will be announced an Arsenal player once he is released from a France training camp to put pen to paper.
A source close to Marseille said: "The deal has been agreed. The medical took place on Wednesday, he agreed to sign on Thursday and the only hold up is that he is with the French squad at the moment."
Wenger is a big admirer of Nasri and has been tracking him for months after French scout Gilles Grimandi strongly recommended him.
Nasri's international team-matem Franck Ribery, who opted to join Bayern Munich in preference to Arsenal last summer, is in no doubt that the gifted attacker, dubbed the 'New Zidane' on account of his Algerian roots, has made a positive career choice.
Ribery said: "It's good for him. This is a good club with a lot of young players, but the English Premier League is completely different, difficult to adapt to. It is a pity that Samir left Marseille, he's been there all of his footballing career. But it was important for him to see something else."
Inter Milan remain favourites to sign Hleb, but the acquisition of Nasri - France's brightest prospect - may help to pacify Brazil international Gilberto Silva, whose own future in north London has been the subject of some conjecture.
Source: telegraph.co.uk & Mirror
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