Former Manchester City and Arsenal midfielder Samir Nasri has reportedly been arrested on suspicion of money laundering.
Nasri, 39, spent 10 hours in police custody in Paris on Thursday before being released without charge, according to reports in Le Parisien.
It was his second arrest on the matter, having initially been questioned in late June in Marseille.
The former France international was reportedly interrogated as part of a significant investigation into organised crime – including the importation of drugs, criminal conspiracy and money laundering linked to drugs.
That investigation is centred on Karim Berrebouh – an imprisoned drug trafficker from Marseille – and Olivier Sabbah, a key figure in the network laundering the proceeds of Berrebouh’s criminal activities.
The inquiries into Nasri surround the money laundering aspect of the case, linked to nightclub XS in Ivry-sur-Seine.
Nasri invested hundreds of thousands of euros into the nightclub while playing for Manchester City before later becoming a co-owner. The two-time Premier League winner played for City from 2011 to 2017.
Samir Nasri (left) has reportedly been arrested in France on suspicion of money laundering
His fellow business partner, Bilele Z, was also arrested on Thursday.
Part of the probe by the Financial Investigation and Research Brigade of the Paris Judicial Police is believed to have been linked to the wife of convict Berrebouh.
She is alleged to have visited the nightclub on several occasions to withdraw sums of money, while her husband was in prison.
During his interrogation, however, Nasri claimed he sold all his shares to Berrebouh – but that agreement has supposedly remained verbal.
Daily Mail Sport has contacted Nasri’s lawyer and the Paris Judicial Police for comment.
Nasri spent 10 years playing in England, turning out for West Ham, Manchester City and Arsenal.
Capped 41 times by France, Nasri played 129 times for Manchester City, scoring 18 goals. He also found the back of the net 18 times for Arsenal, but in 43 fewer appearances.
His most prosperous spell came at City, winning the Premier League twice, the League Cup and the Community Shield. He also won the UEFA Intertoto Cup at his boyhood club Olympique Marseille.
