Arsenal said yesterday they have agreed to sell French midfielder Samir Nasri to Premier League rivals Manchester City.

In a statement on their website the Gunners said: “Arsenal can confirm that they have agreed terms for Samir Nasri to move to Manchester City.”

Nasri, who featured in Arsenal’s weekend home loss to Liverpool, had been angling for a move to Eastlands for weeks after big-spending City dangled a significant wage rise and the Londoners reluctantly agreed to do business as he is out of contract at the end of the season.

Arsenal allowed Nasri, 24, to travel to Manchester for a medical, meaning he will not feature in the Gunners’ crucial Champions League play-off second leg at Udinese on Wednesday.

“The move will be subject to Nasri passing a medical and formal registration processes,” said Arsenal.

Nasri spent three years with Arsenal after joining from Marseille.

His departure is a further blow for Gunners’ coach Arsene Wenger, who has already lost captain Cesc Fabregas to Barcelona and who now has to deal with a number of injuries and suspensions.

“The summer was very difficult because we had Cesc Fabregas and Nasri on permanent transfer negotiations and that is draining in the end,” Wenger told BBC Sport.

“We lost two great players and that’s a sad side of the story but at some stage it has to be over, because you want to focus on the future.”