Southampton midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin appears to be edging closer to a move to either Arsenal or Manchester United, following reports his current club have a deal in place for a replacement in that position, according to Metro Sport.
Highly-rated Dutch midfielder Jordy Clasie has been identified by Saints boss Ronald Koeman to fill the void that will be left by the Frenchman and Feyenoord confirmed the player was left out of their pre-season friendly amid strong interest from the Premier League side.
Last season the 24-year-old started all but one Eredivisie game as Feyenoord finished fourth and he found the back of the net twice as well as registering six assists.
The fee to take Clasie from Holland is thought to be in the region of £9m and his imminent arrival seems to suggest that Schneiderlin’s exit from St Mary’s is now a matter of when, not if.
Jordy Clasie speelt vanmiddag niet tegen Fortuna Düsseldorf. De reden is dat er concreet serieuze belangstelling is getoond voor de captain.
— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) July 12, 2015
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The news will certainly boost the Red Devils as they have been tipped to sign Schneiderlin all summer and have already seen one £20m offer rejected by the Saints earlier this month [via Mail Sport].
Having agreed a deal to sign Bayern Munich midfield German international captain Bastian Schweinsteiger on Saturday afternoon [via Guardian Sport], many expected United’s interest in Schneiderlin to cool given their vast options of central midfielders.
However, it was reported by talkSPORT that manager Louis van Gaal is keen to complete deals for both players and would ideally like the duo to be on the plane in time for the club’s pre-season tour of the United States which is scheduled to depart on Monday.
The Gunners can’t be ruled out of the running to sign Schneiderlin as the player reportedly favours a move to the Emirates Stadium [via Standard Sport], but it remains to be seen whether manager Arsene Wenger is willing to meet the £25m asking price that the Saints don’t seem to be budging on.