Pep Guardiola's ready to axe Manchester City star

MANCHESTER CITY boss Pep Guardiola has decided to ditch Samir Nasri.

By Jeremy Cross, Chief Sports Writer

The French flop has not been put on the transfer list, but it is understood club bosses are willing to sell him.

Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak wants around £18m for the midfielder, who made just seven league appearances last season.

Guardiola has run out of patience with Nasri and thinks his attitude and work rate is not up to scratch.

The Spanish boss forced the 29-year-old to train alone after he returned overweight from a summer break in America.

AXED: Pep's preparing to sell Nasri

He chucked him into a fat camp during the club’s pre-season tour of China last month and made him run laps of the pitch on his own.

But the final straw for Guardiola came when Nasri appeared in a controversial video that seemed to show him glamourising drugs.

The footage, shot during Nasri’s break with friends in Las Vegas and California, shows him clowning around in a limousine close to what appear to be dozens of bags of cannabis.

Spanish boss Guardiola is regarded as one of the toughest disciplinarians in the business and will not stand for such behaviour.

Nasri has not featured in a single pre-season game under City’s new boss and was left at home when they travelled to Sweden to face Arsenal last weekend.

Nasri’s agent Jean-Pierre Bernes has been given the green light to speak to other clubs in the hope of finding him a move before the transfer window closes at the end of this month.

Italian clubs Inter and AC Milan are both interested along with Roma, while Spartak Moscow are also keen to speak to the player.

Guardiola has signed a host of attacking talent this summer to leave Nasri surplus to requirements.

Etihad bosses are also keen to sign John Stones and know getting rid of Nasri and his £120,000-a-week wages would help fund a deal for the England and Everton defender.

City fans took to social media last night to blast Nasri and urge Guardiola to get him out of the club he snubbedManchester United for when joining from Arsenal for £25m in 2011.