Arsène Wenger has ruled out selling Samir Nasri to Manchester United this summer, despite discussions between Arsenal and the player remaining at an impasse over extending his stay at the Emirates.
Nasri, a £15.8m signing from Marseille in the summer of 2008, is entering the final 12 months of his contract with suggestions in France that United would express an interest in his availability, speculation fanned by comments from his national team-mate Patrice Evra, who has urged him to move to Old Trafford.
"One thing's for sure: we're not selling him to Manchester United," Wenger told the French radio station RTL. "Are we still in discussions with Nasri? Yes, but we are still in disagreement over the financial contract on offer, which we haven't settled. We are trying to extend his deal."
Wenger is anxious to retain the 23-year-old but he is willing to listen to offers for Andrey Arshavin – though, perhaps significantly, the manager does not envisage losing his captain, Cesc Fábregas, to Barcelona this summer. "Barcelona were interested last year in Cesc but not this year. For me, he's the world's best midfielder. He's our captain. We've built the team around him. Of course we want to keep him."
Wenger remains in the market to add to his own options and acknowledges the need to add defensive strength as well as a top-quality striker to his squad. Interest has been expressed in Lille's Ivory Coast forward Gervinho, 24, who will make a decision on his future after his country's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Benin on Saturday.
Asked what he would seek to add to his forward ranks, Wenger said: "World-class strength. Everyone is looking to reinforce their attack as it's always important to improve in that area of the team.
"We're also after an experienced defender, maybe one who is already used to life in the Premier League. That has been our weakness.
"But you should remember that we still had a better defence last season than a lot of other good teams, including Manchester City."