Arsenal and Manchester United target Morgan Schneiderlin confirms imminent transfer

Morgan Schneiderlin has revealed that he is close to securing a move to another club in the next few days, even before Southampton start their pre-season training this summer.

The midfielder is being heavily scouted by Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham, but the player is likely to consider a move only to a club in the top four, having recently stated that he wants to play in the Champions League.

"The negotiations are ongoing and should be completed in the coming days, hopefully before the resumption of [Southampton's pre-season] training next week," he said, as quoted by the Guardian.

Arsenal have somewhat cooled their interest in the player after the emergence of Francis Coquelin last season, who has been a revelation for the Gunners in the second half. The Frenchman added some much needed bite to their midfield and screened the defence effectively, as the north London club finished the year with maximum points in the calendar year.

United are also confident of their chances, having previously worked with Southampton in securing the transfer of Luke Shaw, which Ed Woodward believes should tilt the tide in their favour.

Tottenham were favourites to sign him last season, but the Saints blocked a move to White Hart Lane and were vindicated in their attempt, as the north London club scraped past Southampton on the league table to finish fifth. With the midfielder having already made a choice over his future, a move to Tottenham looks very unlikely in the current situation.

Southampton have slapped a £24m ($38m) asking price on Schneiderlin, with two years left in his current contract. The midfielder is a more urgent need for United, where Louis van Gaal has confirmed that he is in the market for a holding midfielder to work alongside Michal Carrick, who spent a major part of last season on the sidelines.

Arsenal, on the other hand, need to find a system where they can use both Schneiderlin and Coquelin, in a way that they challenge each other for a first team spot. However, a striker is more of a priority for Arsene Wenger, who needs to add more goals to his game to consider challenging for the title.