Andrey Arshavin looks to be finally on the verge of ending his Arsenal nightmare after closing in on a move to English Premier League strugglers Reading.
Arshavin is far from first choice at Arsenal, with the Russian playmaker finding it difficult even to get into the 18-man squad, let alone carve a place in the starting lineup.
The 31-year-old has found it difficult to adapt ever since making a move in 2009, although some of the problems can be attributed to the fact that Arshavin has been played out of position by Arsene Wenger more often than not.
Despite his struggles, Arshavin remains one of the club's highest earners at around £90,000 a week ($145,000), and the Gunners are desperate to offload the player to create some space for new signings.
Reading have become serious contenders for Arshavin, with the club's Russian owner Anton Zingarevich keen to bring in some experience to a squad struggling to compete in the Premier League, according to the Daily Mail.
Arsenal, who bought Arshavin for £15 million ($24 million) from Zenit St. Petersburg in 2009, is ready to let the Russian go for as little as £2 million ($3.2 million), with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.
The Gunners are desperate to sell some of their high-earning non-performing players, with the likes of Marouane Chamakh, Sebastien Squilacci and Johan Djourou also available for transfer when the window reopens in January.
Chamakh is wanted by West Ham, but his £60,000 a week ($96,800) wages have put the club off. Inter Milan, Fiorentina and Chamakh's former club Bordeaux have also been linked.
Squilacci is another player on around £50,000 a week ($80,000), and the Gunners have found it hard to offload the defender, who has been a major flop in the Premier League, struggling to adapt to the pace of the game in England.
While there are plenty of suitors for the players, Arsenal will need to agree on a lucrative severance package before they are able to move them along, or face the prospect of them running down their contracts.
