Arsenal are ready to make a club record £20 million bid for Zenit St Petersburg midfielder Andrei Arshavin. The Mail on Sunday says Gunners manager Arsene Wenger is breaking his habit of holding back transfer cash and Arshavin, the Zenit St Petersburg front man who was at the club's London Colney training ground last week, is expected to join early next month.

Tottenham were close to landing the Euro 2008 star last summer and still hold out hope of securing him.

But the involvement of their north London rivals means they are unlikely to get their man, and that will come as a bitter blow to Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, who had the opportunity to sign Arshavin in August.