Alexander Hleb will be allowed to leave Arsenal
this summer, according to the player's agent. The Belarus
midfielder's future has been the subject of feverish speculation
and his representative, Nikolai Shpilevski, claims he is already in
talks with another club.
Shpilevski told the Sun: "I can officially confirm that a short
time ago Alexander decided that he will leave Arsenal and join
another club. "Of course, Arsenal and Arsene wanted him to stay but
they have accepted the player's choice."
Hleb has been linked with a move to Inter Milan and reportedly
held talks with the Italian giants earlier this year. Inter's
interest infuriated Gunners boss Arsene Wenger, who threatened to
report them to FIFA for making an illegal approach for the
player.
There were suggestions the player would use Article 17 of FIFA's
transfer regulations to buy out the remaining two years of his
Arsenal contract. But Shpilevski insisted Hleb will not rob the
club of a lucrative transfer fee, saying: "We are not using article
17 of the FIFA rule.
"I can't tell you anything about where he will be playing yet.
"Talks are under way, and I don't have the right to make them
public. "I think that the issue of his new club will be clarified
in the next few days."
Shpilevski confirmed one of the reasons Hleb wanted to quit
Arsenal was because he had not settled in London following his
£11.2million move from Stuttgart three years ago. "Alex has spent
three good seasons at Arsenal and he wasn't sure he could maintain
the same level that he has been showing if he stayed," Shpilevski
said. "It's also true that he felt uncomfortable off the field.
"Alexander wants a change of scene. That's had a large part to play
in his decision."
Should Hleb move on, he would be the second big-name departure
from Emirates Stadium this summer following fellow midfielder
Mathieu Flamini's move to AC Milan. The loss of two key men would
be a huge blow to Wenger's attempt to emulate and improve upon this
season's domestic and European trophy bids.