Southampton are ready to break the bank to stop Morgan Schneiderlin going to Arsenal
France international Schneiderlin is Arsenal's No1 midfield target this summer but the Saints have begun contract talks to try to tie him down to St Mary's.
Even if Schneiderlin doesn't sign a new deal, they will slap a £25million-plus price-tag on his head to try to scare off potential suitors, which would mean only the likes of the Gunners and Manchester United from the interested parties could afford him.
Schneiderlin, 25, has got two more years left on his current contract and Southampton are ready to make him their top earner on around £60,000-a-week.
Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has already tied down emerging star Francis Coquelin to a new deal while fellow holding midfielder, and captain, Mikel Arteta is signed up until 2016.
But that will not stop Wenger from moving for a new face at the position, with Schneiderlin heading the list of targets.
Arsenal are also long-time admirers of Bayer Leverkusen's Lars Bender and Christoph Kramer and Ilkay Gundogan of Borussia Dortmund.
Schneiderlin was on Wenger's radar last summer but Saints made it clear they did not want to sell, and resisted several approaches from Tottenham.
Southampton have also begun talks with still-out-injured striker Jay Rodriguez as they are determined to avoid a repeat of last summer's mass exodus that saw manager Mauricio Pochettino and first-teamers Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Rickie Lambert, Luke Shaw and Calum Chambers all leave.
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