Believe it or not, Samir Nasri is technically still a Manchester City player.

The Frenchman’s spell at the Etihad Stadium tailed off years ago but City are yet to take the plunge and permanently ousted him from the club. It’s hard to see the player himself having too many complaints given his wages, mind you.

Nevertheless, this summer looked certain to put an end to the midfielder’s mixed, albeit initially successful, time at the club.

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It should come as little surprise, especially when you consider Nasri spent the entirety of last season out on loan at Sevilla. Although Los Rojiblancos enjoyed a successful season, their French midfielder was somewhat non-descript.

He scored just three times across 31 appearances at the club and registered a measly three assists. It essentially confirmed the inevitable, even if it would have taken something spectacular to change Pep Guardiola’s mind anyway.

That being said, rather astonishingly, the ex-Barcelona boss might not actually get a say on Nasri’s future and the same can be said for the club as a whole. UEFA, via an obscure ruling, may actually necessitate his stay.

According to the Daily Mail, the Citizens could be lumped with a dizzying wage bill, being forced to retain Nasri but not being able to play him.

The news emerges after a bizarre incident in December that saw the Frenchman subjected to a doping investigation over his use of an intravenous drip. The 30-year-old was with Sevilla when the episode took place at a Los Angeles clinic.

His appearance at the ‘Drip Doctor’ was photographed and the company remarked that they provided: “an IV drip to keep him hydrated and in top health during his busy soccer season with Sevilla.”

It proved an unwise decision with the Spanish Agency for the Protection of Health in Sport launching a probe against the player. It is believed that UEFA themselves have now inherited responsibility.

If UEFA were to find Nasri guilty of doping, he could face a maximum ban of four years. A two-year ruling is considered more likely, though, but that would prove little in the way of good news for City.

Such a decision would straddle the club with a wage bill in the region of £25 million with the player still benefitting from a £120,000-a-week contract. Of course, it would also deprive the club of a potential £12 million transfer fee for the player.

The nature of the situation all depends on the amount of drip Nasri received and whether or not he had a formal exemption.

The World Anti-Doping Agency forbids the use of IVs in excess of 50 millimetres over a six-hour period. Either that or in cases where the athlete has successfully filed for medical dispensation over the matter.

It’s fair to say that City will be hoping Nasri falls into the latter category and that the situation is but an inconvenient misunderstanding. For the sake of their finances and the Frenchman’s career, it would probably be for the best.

Do you think this ruling would be unfairly cruel to Manchester City? Let us know by leaving a comment below.