Stan Kroenke ‘pays up’ to keep Nasri at Arsenal

Last summer it was Cesc Fabregas who kept Transfer Talk in business; 12 months on it's his Arsenal team-mate Samir Nasri who's making us work overtime. The 23-year-old midfielder has been the centre of attention ever since he revealed last week that he was unsure of his future, even mentioning a move to Manchester United as a possibility.

But the latest gossip concerning Nasri's future involves Bayern Munich and the rumour that the German club might be lining up an irresistible offer. According to the Mail, Bayern are in the black to the tune of £200m and see Nasri as the man to relight their fire after a disappointing 2010-11 season. Nasri's compatriot, Franck Ribery, has failed to hit the heights that Bayern had hoped and the Mail says the German powerhouse are now after Nasri.

But before Arsenal fans sink into despair, they'd do well to read the Express, which says that the club's new majority shareholder, American tycoon Stan Kroenke, has "rubber-stamped increased offers" to Nasri and to Gael Clichy in order to keep them at the Emirates. Apparently Kroenke is prepared to meet Nasri's wage demands and elevate him to a pay structure equal to that of Fabregas.

Chelsea's ears have pricked up after Wesley Sneijder admitted his time at Inter Milan is drawing to a close. Speaking to Italian rag Gazzetta dello Sport, the 27-year-old Dutch playmaker made what sounded like a valedictory speech to supporters.

"The Inter fans have always treated me very well," said Sneijder. "They were wonderful and I want to simply thank them." Pressed on whether the rumours linking him with a £33m move to Chelsea were true, Sneijder said: "Only God will decide where my future lies."

Whether  Sneijder was referring to the Almighty or Abramovich wasn't clear.

One man who won't be going anywhere this summer, except to Manchester United's training ground, is Nemanja Vidic. In recent days the Serbian strongman has been linked with Juventus but his agent has taken pains to scotch those rumours.

Asked by Italian broadcaster Radio Sportiva if it was true the United captain might be bound for Turin, Silvano Martina responded: "He is a player everybody is after. I spoke to him about a hypothetical transfer and he replied: 'I am the Manchester United captain, I earn good money, I have won practically everything, why should I leave for Italy when Italian football is going through a turbulent time?' His answer clears up any doubts. He stays where he is."

In other news, Manchester City are said to be in hot pursuit of Napoli's Argentine star Ezequiel Lavezzi. The 26-year-old striker has been dubbed the "new Diego Maradona" – let's hope for his footballing skills and nothing else – and the Daily Star reckons that Napoli have told the Sky Blues they can have him for £18m.

Lavezzi, who apparently likens himself to Carlos Tevez (though he doesn't hate the city of Manchester), has attracted interest from Barcelona in the past but it's believed the Spanish club have passed on the chance of snapping him up for the Camp Nou.

Finally the agent of Brazilian teenage sensation Neymar has said that he if were the striker's dad and not his representative he would be telling him to sign for Real Madrid. That won't go down well with Chelsea, who have been negotiating to take Neymar off Santos's hands for a year.

The Blues want to bring the 19-year-old to the Bridge but can't seem to agree terms with the Brazilian club and now Wagner Ribeiro has thrown the proverbial spanner in the works by singing the praises of Real. In an interview with Spanish paper AS, Ribeiro said of Real: "They are the best club in the world, they have no equal. It's the maximum a player could want." ·