Samir Nasri could still leave before the transfer window closes, with L’Equipe now reporting that Sevilla have come in for the French midfielder, who had seemed set to depart earlier in the summer but now appears to be a part of Pep Guardiola’s plans should he choose to remain at Manchester City.
The 29-year-old has been heavily linked with moves to Italy and Turkey this summer, and Besiktas have seemed the most likely suitors in recent times, working hard to finalise a deal for the former France international before the transfer deadline on Wednesday.
However, following City’s 3-1 win over West Ham United on Sunday, in which Nasri was given his first run-out of the year, Guardiola seemed to indicate it was up to the 29-year-old if he wanted to stay past this summer, saying he had a huge amount of ability. Nasri came back from pre-season overweight, but has worked hard to get back in shape, and it seems his efforts have been rewarded.
Despite that, links away have persisted, with Besiktas still keen, and they now appear to have been joined in the race by Sevilla, who want to complete a deal as quickly as possible. This is the first notable interest in Nasri from a Spanish club this summer, after links mainly to Italy and Internazionale in the earlier weeks of the window. However, the sacking of Roberto Mancini after a poor pre-season put an end to those murmurings.
Nasri has played 129 Premier League games since he arrived at City from Arsenal in the summer of 2011, but just 12 of those came last season, with the midfielder suffering from injuries almost throughout. When he did manage to recover fitness for the closing weeks of the year, he was an integral part of the squad which eventually staggered to fourth in the league, shining despite a lack of playing time.
