Arsenal close in on Mata, and Nasri could stay

Confusion reigns in north London today where gaggles of unsettled midfielders can be found wandering around in a daze not knowing if they are coming or going.

First up is Samir Nasri, who seemed certain to quit Arsenal for Manchester City earlier in the week. But  that was before news of interest from Chelsea and Manchester United emerged.

United apparently offered £20m for the player last month but the bid was rejected out of hand as Arsene Wenger is determined not to sell the player to his arch rivals. However, the Guardian is reporting that Nasri will be happy to play out his contract, which has only 12-months to run, before leaving on a free next summer, and when that happens Arsenal will have no say over who he signs for and won't get any sort of a transfer fee.

However, there is some good news for Gunners fans. Arsenal look set to sign Spanish winger Juan Mata from Valencia in a £12m deal. The Mirror reckons that if Wenger lures the winger to the Emirates it may even persuade Nasri to stay.

The Mail has a different take on the deal, it says that Mata will be Nasri's replacement at Arsenal and that Nasri will not be allowed to leave until the Spaniard is on board.

Then there is the small matter of Cesc Fabregas's tortuous move to Barcelona. The Metro reports that Arsenal are refusing to lower their asking price of £40m, which means Barca will have to offer some players as well as cash to the Gunners.

Wenger must choose between noble Frenchman Eric Abidal, a fine player who recently overcame cancer, or Brazilian clown Maxwell, both of who play at the back and could replace Gael Clichy.

Next up is Spurs lynchpin Luka Modric, who, according to what you believe variously wants to leave White Hart Lane, is happy at Spurs or is going to make his mind up after talks with Harry Redknapp.

The Croatian, valued at more than £20m, has been targeted, like Nasri, by both Chelsea and Manchester United. But Spurs are determined to hold on to their big names this summer and chairman Daniel Levy has made it clear that Modric is not for sale.

But Modric hasn't helped matters by making it clear that he has ambitions beyond White Hart Lane, while at the same time refusing to ask for a move.

So, altough he will not hand in a transfer request his agent Nikky Vuksan said: "He wants to play Champions League and win trophies. The only way we can resolve this is to sit down and talk."

It fell to Harry Redknapp to sum up the situation when he said: "The kid's a bit confused at the moment. Other teams want him but we want him here and I want to keep him."

Meanwhile Spurs hunt for a new striker has led them to the door of Espanyol frontman Pablo Osvaldo. However the Argentine Italian would not come cheap, according to the Sun, as the Spanish outfit want £20m for the player who scored 13 goals for them last season.

Finally, former Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler could be about to embark on a swansong in Thailand. The striker who recently quit Perth Glory to return to the UK for family reasons is back on the road according to Goal, and will soon be leading the line for Muangthong United.

"He agreed to play with Muangthong United as a forward," said Muangthong team manager Ronnarit Suewaja. "The contract has already been signed. We just need to work out a few details." ·