Arsenal face a work permit battle for imminent signing Mohamed Elneny.

Elneny has passed a medical ahead of his proposed transfer to Arsenal.

The Basel midfielder is poised to move to the Emirates Stadium in a £7m deal and become Arsene Wenger's first January signing, says the Daily Star.

However, the deal could be delayed due to issues over a work permit following the FA's crackdown on signing players from outside the EU earlier this year.

Egypt currently lie 57th in FIFA's world rankings which means Elneny doesn't automatically qualify for a work permit as the FA's criteria is limited to the top 50 countries.