Arshavin to seal deal on Tuesday

Apparently 33 days just isn't long enough to successfully woo a Zenit St Petersburg player - and Arsenal's attempt to win the services of playmaker Andrei Arshavin will only come to a conclusion on February 3, the day after the transfer window closed.

Bizarrely the stumbling block is nothing to do with relations between the player and the London club, or the Gunners and Zenit, or the fitness or otherwise of the player - but rather a sum of money that the Russian club claim Arshavin owes them.

Arshavin received a large "loyalty bonus" when he joined the Russian club in 2006, and as he is leaving midway through his four-year contract Zenit wanted him to repay the relevant amount.

It seems though, that an agreement of sorts has been reached, and the player will finally join Arsenal on February 3... probably.

TRANSFER TALK: ARSENAL

FIRST POSTED FEBRUARY 2, 2009