Arsene Wenger insists he is no nearer to signing Andrei Arshavin, the Russia forward, but he remains hopeful that a deal can be completed before the transfer window closes.

Arshavin's proposed move looked to have gone through earlier in the week, when Maxim Mitrofanov, the Zenit St Petersburg general director, claimed on Monday that a £15 million deal had been agreed. However, when asked if Arsenal had agreed a fee with Zenit, Wenger said: "No, and we have not applied for a work permit yet for Arshavin or anybody else.

"Whether we are close or not has little meaning - it does not matter how close you are, what is important is that you agree. At the moment, we have no agreement with anybody for any transfer.

"We are always confident, we try our best and respect our budget. If we can find an agreement, we will do it, if we cannot we will not overspend what we have planned to do."

Wenger, though, indicated there could yet be movement ahead of the midnight deadline on Monday.

"These kind of stories sometimes develop in the last minute on the final day of the transfer window," he said. "It is very difficult to predict. I can only give you the way we think on our side. I cannot give you what other people think."