Rio Ferdinand praises Samir Nasri as Manchester United link continues

RIO

Nasri has admitted he wants to know if the Premier League champions are serious about signing him, casting further doubt over his future at the Emirates following manager Arsene Wenger's warning that the France international has to either sign a new contract or be sold this summer.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to spend big this summer in order to stay ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City in the Premiership and also to try and close the gap on Barcelona in the Champions League.

And following comments from Patrice Evra last month that Nasri should move to Manchester, fellow defender Ferdinand has admitted he is a fan of the 23-year-old.

"Samir Nasri is an excellent player," Ferdinand was quoted by Sky Sportsas saying.

"He is a player who has a good technique and a huge amount of talent - and he scores goals.

"For me, he is one of the best players right now. I think he even won the title of best French football player at international level.

"The French have a history of good players here [in the Premier League]. Thierry Henry has been fantastic. Just like Cantona and let's not forget Marcel Desailly."

Nasri is believed to have been offered a new deal by Arsenal worth £90,000-a-week, but according to Goal.com wants £110,000-a-week - the same figure that captain and top earner Cesc Fabregas is currently on.

Speaking at the weekend, Nasri hinted that he could leave the Gunners this summer, telling TF1: "I don’t know if I will sign a new contract. Anyway, the discussions are ongoing.

"For the moment, I don't think about this. We will speak about it after the match with Poland."

Of the link with Sir Alex Ferguson's side, he added: "Do I want to go to Man United? Initially, we should see if it's real and if it is concrete."

SOURCE - Crunch Sports Staff - 7 Jun 2011
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