Arsenal Agree £12m Fee for Southampton Defender Calum Chambers

Arsenal are set to complete the signing of Southampton youngster Calum Chambers for a fee said to be in the region of £12m.

According to the Daily Mail, the Gunners have convinced the Saints to part with the talented right-back after Arsene Wenger received glowing reports from his scouting team, despite the fact that Chambers made only 24 first-team appearances.

The Frenchman had been tracking the England international all through the summer, and rumours of a transfer were doing the rounds ever since Bacary Sagna's Arsenal departure became inevitable.

The north London club was in the market for a defensive cover after the departure of Sagna and have already signed Mathieu Debuchy. However, the Gunners will need another defender as Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen is also likely to depart.

It is believed that Chambers, who currently plays at right-back, can mature and become a central defender in the long run.

The 19-year-old defender is tipped to break into the senior England squad in the near future and this explains Arsenal's willingness to pay over £12m for the youngster. If some reports are to be believed, the fee could rise to £16m.

Arsenal have been linked to various young right-backs post the arrival of Debuchy. This means Wenger is already looking at the future, as the Frenchman is turning 29 later this year.

The FA cup holders were rumoured to be interested in Atletico Madrid's 20-year-old right-back Javier Manquillo, but looks like Liverpool have beaten Arsenal for his signature.

Although Saints boss Ronald Koeman is keen to hold on to the youngster, the lure of Champions League football and playing at the Emirates seem to have turned the youngster's head. Southampton are now resigned to lose one more of their top talents to a bigger Premier League club.

Chambers will be the fourth player to depart Southampton this summer, as they have already lost a few key players, with Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert moving to Anfield and Luke Shaw having made the switch to Manchester United.

The imminent arrival of Chambers will cast a major doubt on the future of Carl Jenkinson, who is likely to leave the club with West Ham United interested in signing him.