" Arsenal are preparing to go head to head with Tottenham Hotspur this summer for Morgan Schneiderlin after identifying the France and Southampton midfielder as one of their transfer priorities for 2015.
There is an acceptance that it would be virtually impossible to prise Schneiderlin away from St Mary’s this month, particularly as Southampton are pushing for a European place, but the 25-year-old has admitted that his future is unsure beyond the season.
Southampton turned down a £10 million bid from Tottenham last summer and, although the player initially wanted to leave, club directors decided that they would refuse all offers. Spurs, though, never actually improved on a single £10 million bid which Schneiderlin had wrongly thought would trigger a release clause. Relations between Tottenham and Southampton had also become strained earlier in the summer by the departure of Mauricio Pochettino and his coaching staff.
Arsenal did buy Calum Chambers from Southampton for £16 million but made no enquiry for Schneiderlin, who is valued at closer to £20 million. Arsenal have since been lacking this season in central midfield, largely due to injury, and long-term replacements are especially needed in the holding midfield role. Mikel Arteta has sustained several injuries this season but has provisionally agreed a one-year extension to stay at Arsenal next season but Mathieu Flamini is out of contract this summer.
Schneiderlin should now be coming into the peak years of his career and, looking further into the future, Arsenal are also seeking to sign Legia Warsaw’s Krystian Bielik this month. They have had a £2 million bid turned down but talks remain ongoing between the clubs for a player who only turned 17 on Sunday but has already broken into the Legia Warsaw first team. Legia bought Bielik from Lech Poznan for £9,500 last year and he has a contract until 2017. At 6ft 2in, Bielik is a strong physical presence and is expected to develop as a specialist in the holding midfield position."
