Arsenal have reportedly reached an agreement with Stade Rennes to sign defensive midfielder Yann M Vila for 17.7 million pounds this summer.
The 21-year-old has been one of Arsene Wenger s long-term transfer targets and is set to sign a four-year contract with the Premier League outfit.
Former France and Chelsea defender Marcel Desailly told Goal.com that M Vila is better than Patrick Vieira, who spent nine years with the Gunners, and insisted that if he was the chairman of a Premier League club he would do whatever it takes to sign him.
Wenger has already made in-roads to strengthen his squad ahead of the transfer window by securing the services of Cologne striker Lukas Podolski, while the likely acquisition of M Vila represents a stark contrast to Arsenal s business last summer.
M Vila is likely to feature prominently for France at Euro 2012 this summer and his acquisition would be viewed as a significant step forward for a club also trying to persuade Robin van Persie to extend his contract.
The fee required to secure M Vila is likely to set a club record by surpassing the approximately 15 million pounds needed to lure Andrey Arshavin away from Zenit St Petersburg in 2009.
Rennes sit in fifth place in the Ligue 1 table, with M Vila having made 36 league appearances for the club during the 2011-12 campaign.
