CEDRIC is set to complete his loan spell to Arsenal within the next 24 hours.

It will see Saints pocket a £5m loan fee, which includes Cedric's wages, for a player whose contract runs out in the summer.

The club have signed Kyle Walker-Peters on a temporary basis from Tottenham until the summer and that has paved the way for Cedric to head to the Gunners.

Cedric joined Saints for £4.7m back in 2015 from Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon and has gone on to make over 130 appearances for the St Mary’s outfit.

He attracted criticism from Saints fans in November last year when he went public with his intention to leave during an interview with the Daily Telegraph.

But he managed to put himself back in favour with some supporters through his defensive displays during the club’s excellent run in the Premier League over recent weeks.

Cedric missed Saints’ most recent FA Cup tie with Tottenham due to a knee ligament injury, which manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said could keep him out of action for up to three weeks.

But this didn’t deter Arsenal from making a move for the 28-year-old.

By doing a deal in January, the Gunners now have the chance to look at him over the remainder of the season to decide whether they want to make him a permanent signing in the summer.

New Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta highlighted his defence as an area that needed strengthening, with Pablo Mari already signing from Flamengo.