Updated: 10 Jul 2026 08:21 BST |
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Samir Nasri, the former Arsenal and Manchester City midfielder, has been taken into police custody over allegations he is linked with an organised money laundering case.
Le Parisien reports that Nasri, who now works as a television pundit for Canal+, was questioned by police on Thursday but released without charge.
It claims that the former France international was spoken to by officials for 10 hours as part of a judicial investigation into the importation of narcotics, criminal conspiracy, and money laundering related to drug trafficking as part of an organised group.
The French report states that Nasri is implicated in the money laundering aspect of the case due to his role as the former manager of the ‘XS’ nightclub. It explains that he invested ‘a few hundred thousand euros’ in the establishment during his time with Manchester City and subsequently became a co-owner.
Investigators are examining allegations that the wife of Hakim Berrebouh, a drug trafficker imprisoned since 2021, withdrew large sums of money from the nightclub during a period spanning 2021-2023.
This was the second time that Nasri has been spoken to by the police about this case, though no legal action has been taken against the former Arsenal and Man City star.
His lawyer, meanwhile, has declined to comment on the investigation.
Nasri faces tax case after Deliveroo orders
This is the second time in a matter of months that Nasri has found himself in hot water with the authorities.
In April, it was revealed that French tax officials are investigating claims that he owes more than €5.5m to the state, with his status as a tax resident of Dubai cast into doubt.
According to an investigation by Les Echos, one of the key elements cited by the French authorities against the 38-year-old, who won 41 caps for France in an illustrious career, is a Deliveroo history that totals more than 200 orders.
Among the key pieces of evidence that Les Echos claims the French authorities have gathered are documents from airlines that show he spent between 126-208 days annually in France between 2021 and 2023 but just 42-124 days in the UAE.
Nasri faces severe consequences to these allegations. The tax authorities have sought and obtained a seizure of his property in Paris, which was upheld by the Paris Judicial Court on 12 March, while the former Arsenal star has had his bank accounts frozen.
The former player’s lawyers have indicated that the court’s decision to seize his property in Paris has been appealed.
Lyes Kaci, who Les Echos interviewed as an expert in international tax law, believes that the evidence so far made public is not enough to condemn Nasri.
“Be careful not to jump to conclusions,” he warns. “The heart of this matter is far from settled. At this stage, it would be a little too easy to conclude that Nasri is a French tax resident simply by having access to the arguments of the tax authorities; especially since the court’s decision does not establish the nature and, above all, the origin of the income for which the former footballer is being reassessed.”
Even if deemed a French tax resident, some income could still fall outside French taxation under bilateral agreements.
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