Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is set to swoop for one of the most promising young players in France in the summer.

Olympique Lyon midfielder Maxime Gonalons has made a huge impact in his debut ­season and will be available for a token fee in June.

He is on a one-year contract with a two-year option at Lyon - but the club can activate that option and demand a transfer fee only if he moves to another French club. If he decides to move abroad - which is his ambition - Lyons will receive minimal compensation for the work put in grooming Gonalons, a French Uner-21 international.

The 20-year-old is tall and aggressive and has been the subject of positive reports from Arsenal's French scout Gilles Grimandi. Gonalons is equally comfortable in a central defensive role.