Arsenal and Real 'agree' £23m deal for Vieira

Arsenal and Real Madrid have agreed a fee of £23m for the midfielder Patrick Vieira, it was reported last night.

Arsenal and Real Madrid have agreed a fee of £23m for the midfielder Patrick Vieira, it was reported last night.

Florentino Perez, the Spanish club's president, and David Dein, vice-chairman at Arsenal, agreed the provisional fee for the French international as the protracted transfer saga appeared to be reaching a conclusion.

Vieira is set to sign a four-year contract with the Spanish club and will earn in the region of £3m per year. The wage is less than the £3.7m earned by Real's galacticos but Vieira will make up the shortfall with an image rights deal.

The agreement was announced by the respected radio station, Cadena Ser, which broke the David Beckham transfer story last summer.

The deal will not be made official today, however, because Arsenal are anxious to seal the signing of Maniche Ribeiro, Porto's defensive midfielder, as a replacement for their departing captain first. Porto are believed to be willing to accept around £9m.

However, Real are eager to complete the Vieira signing as they must register the 28-year-old Frenchman tomorrow for him to be available for their Champions' League qualifier next week against either Wisla Krakow or WIT Georgia.

It is also understood that Arsenal made an inquiry about taking Real's Spanish international striker Fernando Morientes as part of the Vieira deal but Perez rejected the idea. Morientes returned to the Bernebeu in the summer after spending a season on loan at Monaco.

Real made their first official bid for Vieira earlier yesterday, originally offering Arsenal £20m for the French midfielder. Arsenal were thought to be seeking £29m ­ or Morientes as part of the package ­ but it appears the two clubs have now reached a compromise.

The Spanish newspaper Marca, which routinely acts as the unofficial mouthpiece of Real, reported that the club had finally submitted an official faxed bid. Arsenal's manager Arsène Wenger, however, has insisted that his club would resist any approach from Real, saying Arsenal do not need the money.

The Real coach Jose Antonio Camacho has been determined to increase his team's defensive resolve, either by recruiting a holding midfielder, such as Vieira, or a centre-back, having already lost out on Ricardo Carvalho, who moved to Chelsea. "People said that Vieira and Ricardo Carvalho had already been signed [by Real] but we haven't signed anyone," Camacho said before last night's news broke. "We don't need to add anything to the attack. However, the defensive aspect is a different matter. The team needs another player and more balance there. There is still a month to go before the season starts."

Despite his apparent interest in Real, Vieira has not asked for a transfer and his agent, Steve Kutner, made no comment on the reported bid from Spain. Arsenal were similarly tight-lipped, while a Real spokesman said: "We have no information available concerning Vieira and Real Madrid. We cannot say if there has been a bid."

If Camacho does not manage to strengthen his midfield ­ with Real Sociedad's Xabi Alonso a potentially cheaper alternative ­ then David Beckham and Ivan Helguera could yet start the season in central roles. "I don't think that because Beckham and Helguera play in the middle, the team is going to lack ideas," Camacho said.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will be without Thierry Henry and Sol Campbell for the Community Shield encounter against Manchester United on Sunday and it is looking increasingly likely that they will be without Vieira too.