Nasri battle hots up as Chelsea aim to derail Manchester City's £19m swoop

Chelsea have launched a late bid to scupper Manchester City's £19million move for Samir Nasri.

The Arsenal midfielder has been at the centre of a three-way battle for his signature between  Barclays Premier League giants Chelsea, City and Manchester United

City were confident that they had won the race, with the deal close to completion. But Chelsea are now bidding to tempt the Frenchman to make the move across London.

City wanted to grab Nasri just 24 hours after Carlos Tevez told Sportsmail of his wish to leave the club is also seen as an important moment for a club who will play in the Champions League for the first time this season.

After the signing of Gael Clichy for £7m earlier this week, Nasri's exit represents another serious loss for Arsenal to one of their Premier League rivals.

City are also tracking a frontline replacement for Tevez and expect another transfer powerplay by owner Sheik Mansour within the next week.

City have dug their heels in over Tevez's Eastlands future and insist he will not be allowed to leave for less than £50m.

The club's unhappy skipper was hoping for a swift resolution to his demand for a move after issuing a statement that he wanted to switch to a country where his family, including his two daughters, would be happy to settle.

But City are in no mood to relent over a valuation that looks like dashing his hopes of a move to Real Madrid in Spain or Juventus or Inter Milan in Italy and forcing him to stay against his wishes.