United side believe they may be favourites for £25m man.
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Arsenal transfer news
Manchester United may be the favourites to sign Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin for around £25 million ahead of rivals Arsenal this summer, according to the Daily Mail.
The French international is attracting plenty of interest at the moment as he looks set for a exit from the St Mary’s Stadium in this transfer window, and the Mail claim United believe that they may have an edge over the Gunners due to a good relationship with the Saints after past dealings.
United signed Luke Shaw from Southampton just last summer, and although Arsenal also have a history of raiding the club for its top talent, such as Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calum Chambers in recent years, the Mail suggest Old Trafford is the more likely destination for Schneiderlin at the moment.
The Red Devils are certainly in need of a midfielder of his quality for next season, with some doubts over whether or not Michael Carrick still has the required level of fitness to be first choice for the club in that position.
The 33-year-old England star played only 18 Premier League games in 2014/15, and although he performed well when called upon, it makes sense that manager Louis van Gaal might want to target a player like Schneiderlin to come in to succeed him.
The Daily Star adds that Arsenal may cool their interest in the 25-year-old after this news, and are now looking at signing Sevilla’s Polish international midfielder Gzregorz Krychowiak as they also look to improve on their options for a player to shield their back four.