Samir Nasri’s agent has warned Arsenal that he and his client are in no rush to decide the midfielder’s future, and Jean-Pierre Bernes also claims he has received rival offers for the France international.
Both English and French media alike have been awash with speculation that Nasri is poised to move to North London after the playmaker admitted that Marseille’s game with Strasbourg on Saturday could be his last for the Ligue 1 club.
Respected daily L’Equipe further claimed on Wednesday that a deal had been reached between the two clubs and it appeared to be only a matter of hours before the 20-year-old was unveiled as Arsenal’s first signing of the transfer window.
Bernes has sought to put a dampener on such reports though, claiming that Arsenal have competition to sign a player who has been described as ‘the new Zinedine Zidane’ thanks to his Algerian roots and the fact he is a playmaker born in the streets of Marseille.
"We are not in a hurry. It is true that we are examining an offer from Arsenal, which is interesting for Samir Nasri from a sporting point of view," Jean-Pierre Bernes told La Provence.
"But I have also received other offers.”
Nasri is viewed as a potential replacement for Alexander Hleb who has been strongly linked with a move to Italian champions Inter.
The French youngster led the assist table in Ligue 1 this season alongside Rennes' Jerome Leroy and has been named in Raymond Domenech's preliminary squad for Euro 2008.