Arsenal are confident seeing off Manchester City to land Chelsea winger Joe Cole.
The Daily Mail says Cole is ready to turn down Manchester City and make a dramatic switch to Arsenal after the World Cup.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is anxious to strengthen his team, now that Cesc Fabregas, on duty with Spain in South Africa, is expected to leave for Barcelona at the end of the summer.
Cole would not be a direct replacement but the signing of the England man would go some way to soothing the frustration of Arsenal fans, whose team have not won a major trophy since 2005.
While City are also said to be keen on Cole, the stumbling block for both clubs has been Cole's pay demand of about £100,000 a week.
Cole's negotiations with Chelsea are understood to have broken down, which would make the 28-yearold a free agent when his contract runs out this summer.