Russian champions Zenit St. Petersburg have been in talks with Arsenal over signing Andrei Arshavin and any move would now be up to the player, Zenit general director Maxim Mitrofanov told R-Sport on Thursday.
Arsenal have allowed Arshavin to leave on a free transfer, which was one of Zenit's conditions for signing their former player, Mitrofanov said.
"We'd been talking about that with Arsenal for a long time. It was one of two absolute conditions for us," Mitrofanov said of Arsenal's decision not to charge a fee.
"Only Arshavin himself knows the second condition."
With the Russian transfer window closing Monday, there is still time for Arshavin to leave Arsenal, but his refusal will not affect Zenit's plans, Mitrofanov suggested.
When asked about the remaining time, he said: "He has [time], yes, but we've already got everyone we need."
Arshavin started his career with Zenit and spent the last three months of last season on loan with his former club after losing his place in the Arsenal first team.
