• Benayoun wants to end loan spell by helping club clinch third
• Reports suggest M'Vila is close to £17.7m move
Yossi Benayoun was plotting the perfect goodbye to Arsenal on Tuesday as speculation mounted they were about to welcome the France international Yann M'Vila.
Benayoun has revealed he wants to end his loan move from Chelsea by helping Arsenal to finish third in the Premier League, with automatic Champions League qualification set to provide a boost for their summer recruitment drive.
Reports on Tuesday suggested that they were on the brink of completing what would be a club‑record £17.7m signing of the Rennes midfielder M'Vila, who has long been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal appear to be succeeding in conducting their summer transfer business early this year, having been accused of panic signings at the end of the August window after selling Cesc Fábregas and Samir Nasri.
Benayoun was one of the new arrivals but has proven a useful addition to the squad in recent months as they have fought back from a horrendous start to the season to move to the brink of qualifying for the Champions League once more.
The final game of Benayoun's loan spell comes at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday, where Arsenal need to win to be certain of finishing third. That could also help to deny Benayoun's parent club, Chelsea, a top-four spot but the 32-year-old Israel captain could not care less.
"Since I came to Arsenal, I have always been committed to one club until the last game of the season," he said. "The only thing I want is for Arsenal to finish in third place – I don't care about anybody else.
"When I finish I will have to decide about my future. I am supposed to go back to Chelsea first and then we will see what the future holds.
"I finish here in a good way. In the last few months, I have been more involved. I think I have played a big part in the last few games. You always remember the end and I am happy with my performances in the last few months."
Arsène Wenger must now decide whether to try to make Benayoun's move permanent but his attention is said to be currently focused on fending off reported interest from Internazionale for his No1 target M'Vila. Should he succeed, M'Vila would be his second summer signing following the arrival of Lukas Podolski.
It would also be another statement of Arsenal's ambitions ahead of contract negotiations with Robin van Persie, who will sit down with them this summer to discuss extending his deal which expires a year later. Theo Walcott also has only a year left on his contract and he and Van Persie may wait to see who the club bring in before deciding whether to commit their long-term futures.
M'Vila's arrival would provide much-needed strength in central midfield, where Arsenal have suffered crippling injuries this season. He is also more defensive-minded than many of his prospective team-mates and would help to protect a back four that has been left horribly exposed at times.
Reports suggest he would cost £17.7m to prise from Rennes, who have lost their last two Ligue 1 games to end any hope they had of qualifying for next season's Champions League. Arsenal's current transfer record is the £15m they spent on Andrey Arshavin in 2009. Read More
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