Jean Michael-Seri's agent says a move to Arsenal didn't come to fruition because the club "aren't the quickest when it comes to the transfer market".

The representative of the Nice midfielder has told Sport Witness that he met Arsene Wenger last summer to discuss a deal for his client. But the Frenchman was waiting to cull some of his squad before pursuing a deal.

Barcelona had also entered discussions but a deal was never reached with Nice.

"Unfortunately, Arsenal aren't the quickest when it comes to the transfer market," he said. "It's true that I met [Wenger], we spoke about it, he said it could interest him.

"He would have liked there to be more departures in his midfield, because he was aware of the balance of his budget.

"When I got the offer from Barcelona, I let him know about it, but that doesn't mean they entered the fray.

"Unfortunately it didn't happen with Barcelona because of an ego problem between them and Nice."

The Gunners maintain an interest in Seri, but they will be challenged this offseason by local rivals, Chelsea.