Arsenal Plan £20m Bid to Beat Tottenham and Napoli for Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin

Arsenal are preparing a bid in signing Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin this summer, according to the Express.

The 24-year-old had an impressive season at St Mary's Stadium which has seen him attract a lot of interest from clubs in England and across Europe. The Gunners' local rivals Tottenham Hotspur are believed to be keen on bringing him to White Hart Lane.

The Spurs appointed Mauricio Pochettino as Tim Sherwood's successor and with Schneiderlin already playing under the Argentine manager at Southampton, he is planning to sign him for his new club.

In addition to this, Rafael Benitez's Napoli are also in the frame to sign the French midfielder.

The report claims the Emirates club's manager Arsene Wenger is set to launch a bid for Schneiderlin to play the role of the defensive midfielder for Arsenal. Southampton have already allowed Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana to join Liverpool, while their star left-back has completed his switch to Manchester United.

The Saints' new boss Ronald Koeman is keen on retaining Schneiderlin for the new campaign. However, they are aware it would be a difficult task for them to hold on to their midfielder, if big clubs come calling.

Southampton value Schneiderlin to be around £20m and the Gunners manager is willing to meet their asking price for his compatriot's services. The Saints star is with the France national squad for the World Cup where they have reached the quarter finals of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Schneiderlin has hinted that he could be the latest player to leave his current employers in the summer transfer window.

"Listen, I'm aware of Southampton's situation. On a personal level, the club know my position and know what I want to do. I had a good conversation with all the directors," Schneiderlin said.

"I've been there for a long time now. We'll see how things go, but the directors know my position and what my intentions are."

"Everyone has ambitions, everyone has his own future in his hands, so we'll see. Every player wants to play on big occasions," he added.

Wenger wants to complete the deal for Schneiderlin in order to avoid any competition from Arsenal's rivals the Spurs or the Serie A outfit Napoli for the midfielder's signature.