Hleb moves closer to Barcelona move

ALEXANDER HLEB looks set to get his move away from Arsenal as Barcelona close in on a £12million (€15m) deal for the Belarussian.

The exit of the 27-year-old — who said he was “mentally tired” of London life — could be confirmed within the next 24 hours.

The Gunners may also complete the signing of their long-term summer target Samir Nasri from Marseille within the same time frame.

With Nasri replacing Hleb, for what is understood to be a similar fee, manager Arsene Wenger will now look to focus on the rest of his squad who are desperate to build on last season and mount a sustained title challenge.

Arsenal may have to go without leading scorer Emmanuel Adebayor, however, as he also appears to be determined to move for a perceived better deal elsewhere.

Despite AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani claiming Arsenal submitted written confirmation they were now ready to do a deal for the Togo frontman, it will be on the Gunners’ terms — with the Premier League club determined to secure £35m (€43.8m) for a player who joined them just two-and-a-half years ago.

With veteran central midfielder Gilberto Silva also in talks over a switch to Panathinaikos, Wenger looks set to have his work cut out ahead of the first competitive game of Arsenal’s season when his team play a Champions League qualifier on August 12/13.

But he has always proved a shrewd player in the transfer market and will already have potential replacements in mind should Adebayor leave. Colombian striker Falcao, rated at around £8m (€10.2m), is the latest name to be thrown into the mix, while the Arsenal manager is a long-time admirer of Newcastle frontman Obafemi Martins and Blackburn’s Paraguay striker Roque Santa Cruz.

The Gunners squad are set to depart for their Austrian training camp on July 21, by which time Wenger will want all of his transfer business completed to concentrate solely on team building ahead of the new campaign.

Meanwhile, new Aston Villa midfielder Steve Sidwell is looking forward to playing football again having spent most of the last 12 months watching from the sidelines.

The 25-year-old completed his £5m (€6.2m) move from Chelsea after signing a three-year deal.

And he hopes to resurrect a career which stagnated at Stamford Bridge, where he made just 25 appearances — 12 of those as a substitute — in a year-long stay after joining on a free transfer from Reading.

“I am here now and can’t wait to put a Villa shirt on and play for the fans. For me personally, it’s about getting back and playing,” he said.

“I have had a year of not playing as much as I would have liked so to get out on the pitch is the first aim.

“It’s straight down to work really. I have already done some pre-season with Chelsea but the hard work starts now.”

Sidwell will now link up with his new team-mates for a pre-season tour of Switzerland.

“I am absolutely delighted to join. I am over the moon. It’s taken a while but now it’s done I am excited and looking forward to meeting my new team-mates and getting on the pitch and playing football,” Sidwell said.

Sidwell’s arrival increases the likelihood of club captain Gareth Barry leaving.

However, how soon that will happen will depend ultimately on whether Villa boss Martin O’Neill and Liverpool counterpart Rafael Benitez can reach a compromise after weeks of haggling over a fee for the England international.