Russian international Andrei Arshavin is no closer to moving to Arsenal this morning despite mounting speculation in the British press. Speaking exclusively to sport.co.uk, the playmaker’s agent, Dennis Lachter, made clear that financial negotiations between the North London outfit and Zenit St Petersburg have once again stalled.
Such was the frustration with the situation that Lachter confirmed that Arshavin will be willing to buy-out his contract in November if no deal is reached in January.
“Unfortunately, there is no movement and no new news this morning,” said Lachter.
“We still have time but unfortunately at the moment there is nothing to say about quick movement or new developments.
“Definitely money is still the sticking point, I think Zenit is still asking for an unacceptable amount of money, they are still playing very tough – it’s the position of the club and this is the grim reality.”
Asked if Manchester City had attempted to hijack Arsenal’s move, in light of the rejection by Kaka, Lachter emphasised that neither Gary Cook nor any other representatives from Eastlands had contacted him:
“Nobody contacted me from Manchester City, it’s the reality. They have been very busy…no?”
With the end of the transfer market on the horizon, the frustrating possibility of failing to secure a move away from Russia for the second successive time has become a perilous reality for Arshavin. As a consequence Lachter was certain that his client would choose to take matters into his own hands by waiting for his contract to run down until November:
“We will not go out of contract with Zenit in the Summer, we will wait until November. In November he will be able to use his right to buy out Article 17 of the FIFA rules.
“Zenit will be forced to accept a much lower deal than they are hesitating to take now.”
Questioned as to whether Arshavin had a ‘dream’ club, Lachter was careful not to rule out any interested parties:
“Oh I believe we will have many options. He will be one of the most wanted players in World football. I can’t say if it will be Spain, Italy or England – time will tell.
“We are like ten months ahead of November so a lot of things could happen…”