Samir Nasri looked like he could be about to head to Australia to revive his career after his return to playing with West Ham failed to impress anyone… then he found out how little money was available and changed his mind.

West Ham signed Samir Nasri in January after the former Arsenal man’s 18-month ban for doping finished.

The 31-year-old signed a contract until the end of the season but did not do enough to earn a new deal. He made just five appearances in the Premier League (with two assists) and one in the FA Cup.

According to the Geelong Advertiser in Australia, Nasri is a ‘marquee target’ for Western United, an A-League expansion team who will play their first two seasons in Geelong while they build a stadium in Tarneit, a little over an hour away.

Nasri was said to be keen on a move to the club, well, that is until he learned how much they would be paying him.

Founded in 2017, the club has a total market value of around £2.3m (yes, two point three million) so it’s no surprise that they cannot afford to pay Nasri the sort of money he wants.

The Hammers were paying him £80kpw which works out at an annual salary of £4.16m, almost twice what Western United as a club are worth.

“In Europe the clubs pay high sums for players [like Nasri] but in Australia, it’s not the same,” his agent Alain Migliaccio said.

“They don’t have the TV money and the big sponsorships.

“At first Sami was interested in going to Australia and was happy to discuss whether it could happen or not.

“But, after assessing everything, it’s just not possible.

“We spoke with the president at Western United but we’re not able to move forward with this.”