Gunners boss has a £100m transfer war chest at his disposal.
Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger is lining up a shock swoop for Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin to take over from veteran Spaniard Mikel Arteta in the centre of the park at the Emirates next season, according to reports in the Sun on Sunday.
SEE ALSO: The 10 worst Arsenal flops of the Premier League era
The veteran French trainer has reportedly been keeping close tabs on the highly rated former France Under-21 international for some time now, with Wenger even coming close to making a move for Schneiderlin in the recent January transfer window.
However, with former Everton holding midfielder Arteta’s current deal with the north London club set to run out in 18 months’ time, the Gunners are said to already be preparing for life without the cultured player in the capital.
And the player that Wenger has identified to replace Arteta in front of the Arsenal back four this summer is the Saints’ highly rated 24-year-old after the eye-catching campaign that Schneiderlin has had at St Mary’s.
The defensive midfielder has been with the south-coast club now since joining them from Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg back in 2008, with the Frenchman’s current contract with Southampton set to run out on June 30 2017.