Arsenal close in on £10.6m signing of Gervinho

(Reuters)

Arsenal hope to tie up the £10.6m transfer of the Ivory Coast striker Gervinho over the weekend.

The 24-year-old is likely to agree terms on a four-year deal once Arsenal can finalise the terms of the transfer with his club, Lille.

Gervinho scored 18 goals in his 31 games last season as Lille won the French title for the first time since 1954. However, he has made it clear he wants to move to Arsenal, where he would become the third player from the ASEC Mimosas Academy in Abidjan to represent the club, following the footsteps of Emmanuel Eboué and Kolo Touré. The academy was established by the Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger's close friend Jean Marc Guillou.

Samir Nasri's future at Arsenal remains in doubt, and he is to hold talks with Wenger over his future at the Emirates later this summer.

The France midfielder has still to agree a contract extension to his current deal, which runs out in 2012. Nasri said: "Earlier in the season I spoke with the boss and we said we would talk during the summer, which is what we are going to do."