Arsenal has reportedly agreed to a £17.7 million transfer fee for Rennes midfielder Yann M'Vila, according to
Le Parisien, in a move that would greatly bolster the talent of the Gunners' midfield for many years.
If M'Vila comes to the Emirates for that price, it would be a club-record transfer fee, overtaking the £15.5 million Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger paid for Russian forward Andrey Arshavin in 2009.
The decision to purchase M'Vila before Euro 2012 gets under way in June would be a smart one because the star midfielder's play could easily raise his transfer price after the tournament.
M'Vila is one of the greatest defensive-minded midfielders in the world, and at just 21 years old, he hasn't even reached his full potential yet. Over the past year,
he has been a target of Wenger's and has become a major part of the French national team.
The French midfielder would join a crowded group of central defenders on the Gunners squad, but he is by far the best defensive-minded player of the bunch.
He would allow Alex Song, who has been tremendous throughout the season, to play in a more attacking role than he has previously.
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The best comparison to M'Vila is fellow French midfielder Patrick Vieira, who, of course, is one of Arsenal's greatest players ever and captained the squad to Premier League and FA Cup titles.