Arsenal will complete the signing of Morgan Schneiderlin from Southampton in the summer transfer window, after the midfielder agreed on personal terms with the North London club.
According to French newspaper L'Equipe, Schneiderlin has already given his nod to a move to the Emirates at the end of the season, with Arsenal now set to agree on a fee with the Saints.
Southampton refused to sell Schneiderlin last summer, having already let go of several big names, but it looks like they will lose their premier midfielder once this season draws to an end.
Schneiderlin, who is currently out through injury, has reportedly accepted an Arsenal transfer and is already making plans over the summer move – The Secret Footballer had also claimed earlier a deal was in place to sign Schneiderlin.
The report does not state if a fee has been agreed, which means Arsenal will have to jump over that particularly difficult hurdle if they are to bag their man in the summer transfer window, with Southampton likely to hold out for a large fee.
Arsene Wenger has already made two new signings in the January transfer window, bringing in Krystian Bielik from Legia Warsaw and Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal.
Having made the most important signing at centre-back in Gabriel, who was an unused substitute in the English Premier League game against Aston Villa on Sunday, Wenger can now turn his attentions to the defensive midfield department on January transfer deadline day.
Today is the day when the window shuts for the rest of the season, and Wenger did not sound too confident of making another signing, even if he refused to completely rule out a move.
Asked if he plans to make another signing before the transfer deadline day passes, Wenger, speaking after Arsenal's 5-0 triumph over Aston Villa, said: "I don't think I will be busy. We have done what we wanted and unless there is a huge surprise and somebody calls me -- not the journalists, an agent -- then why not?
"At the moment, nothing, it's very quiet."
Schneiderlin will only move to Arsenal -- if he does make a move that is – next summer, with Southampton unwilling to sell their key players as they compete for a Champions League place.
The Saints currently lie in fourth, one place above Arsenal, in the Premier League table, owing to a better goal difference. Ronald Koeman, though, would have been disappointed with his side's performance in the 1-0 defeat to Swansea, and he will hope to have the likes of Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama back in his team as soon as possible.
With Francis Coquelin looking as good as anyone has looked in an Arsenal shirt in the defensive midfield department since the departure of Gilberto Silva, Wenger will be in no hurry to strengthen that position.
The Arsenal manager also confirmed a new deal to lock-up Coquelin to the Emirates is 99 percent done, meaning if there is any truth in the reports linking Schneiderlin -- who has also been heavily linked with Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham -- to Arsenal, then Wenger could just have two really good defensive midfielders in his lineup for next season.
