An agreement has been reached for Arsenal to sell midfielder Sami Nasri to Manchester City for 24 million pounds ($40 million). Nasri, 24, flew to Manchester Tuesday for a medical exam as his former Arsenal teammates headed to Italy, where they play Udinese in the second leg of a Champions League playoff on Wednesday.

Since joining Arsenal from Marseille in July, 2008, the attacking midfielder scored 27 goals in 124 appearances. Last season he scored 10 Premier League goals and 15 in all competitions. He had turned down offers of a new contract and would have been eligible to leave on a free transfer next year. His departure leaves the Gunners in a weakened state following the exodus of Cesc Fabregas last week to Barcelona.

"The summer was very difficult because we had Cesc Fabregas and Nasri on permanent transfer negotiations and that is draining in the end," Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told reporters on Tuesday. "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."

The move further strengthens an already potent City attack bolstered by the recent arrival  of Argentine forward Sergio Aguero and featuring David Silva, James Milner, Edin Dzeko, Adam Johnson, Roque Santa Cruz, Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez, with Tevez expected to depart before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.