Petr Cech is on the verge of completing his protracted £11m transfer to Arsenal from Chelsea, having undertaken his medical on Friday, but the north London club fear that they will be beaten to the signing of Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin by Manchester United.

Arsène Wenger has wanted to upgrade his squad in two principal areas – goalkeeper and defensive midfield – and Cech’s capture ticks the first of those boxes. The 33-year-old’s arrival represents something of a coup for the Arsenal manager and not only because of the goalkeeper’s experience and enduring quality. José Mourinho had been fiercely opposed to selling Cech at all, let alone to a Premier League rival.

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Arsenal have monitored Schneiderlin, who has performed at a consistent level for Southampton in the Premier League and established himself in the France squad. Wenger was delighted at the emergence last season of the defensive midfielder Francis Coquelin, but he suggested in May that he remained in the market for another player in the position. Schneiderlin fits the bill.

Arsenal, though, are worried that any bid they might make for Schneiderlin would be trumped by United, who would also be able to offer him higher wages. United have looked at Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger and they are currently in the driving seat for Schneiderlin, who is determined to move to a club who are in the Champions League.

He wanted to join Tottenham Hotspur last summer only for Southampton to block the move, much to his irritation. Few people at Southampton expect him to stay this time, and a bid of around £25m would be difficult to turn down.

Mauricio Pochettino, who worked with Schneiderlin at Southampton before becoming manager at White Hart Lane in May last year, remains a big admirer but Spurs claim that they have not moved for the 25-year-old this summer.

Cech is poised to become only the sixth player to switch directly from Chelsea to Arsenal – following Bill Dickson (1953), George Graham (1966), William Gallas (2006), Lassana Diarra (2007) and Yossi Benayoun (loan, 2011). The Czech lost his starting place at Stamford Bridge last season to Thibaut Courtois and he was clear that he could not countenance another campaign as the Belgian’s understudy.

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He owes his move to Arsenal to Roman Abramovich, the Chelsea owner, who has allowed him to join the club of his choosing, even a rival – a rare and special privilege. Abramovich has allowed sentiment to colour his decision. He has built a close relationship with Cech and he is respectful of the service that the player has given to Chelsea. Over 11 years at the club, Cech has won every major honour, including four league titles and the Champions League in 2012.

Cech’s arrival at Arsenal, which means that he will not have to uproot his family from London, could see David Ospina squeezed out. The Colombia international only joined Arsenal from Nice last summer for £3m. The Turkish club, Fenerbahce, are in talks over signing him.