Samir Nasri has said he rejected a move to Paris Saint-Germain so he could join Manchester City in 2011, against the wishes of Arsene Wenger.
The midfielder left Arsenal in 2011 to join Manchester City in a move that upset many people. With only a year left on his contract at the time, Nasri had a lot of sway in deciding where he would end up. Much to Arsenal’s chagrin, he picked a rival club.
Several years later, Nasri is now playing in Turkey with Antalyaspor, and has revealed he could have joined Paris Saint-Germain instead of City. “Has PSG ever tried to recruit me? I spoke to them twice. Once when Leonardo had spoken with (Arsene) Wenger,” he told Canal Football Club via Tribal Football.
“It suited Arsene that I was going to France because he did not want me to go to Manchester City or Manchester United. But for me it was either City or United. Another time when Laurent Blanc was coach. It was the year he took (Yohan) Cabaye. And finally, we were champion with City.”
Nasri spent three years at Arsenal after arriving as an exciting talent from Marseille in 2008. His best season for the club came in 2010/11, where he scored 15 goals in all competitions. The following summer, he left the club in order to win major trophies elsewhere.
He won the Premier League title in his first season at City, and then won it again in 2013/14. Injury problems kept him out of the side for the following two campaigns, before he joined Sevilla on loan in 2016/17.
Had he joined PSG, he would won several Ligue 1 titles, however. The move would have suited Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal fans as well, but unfortunately Nasri didn’t want to be so accommodating.