Arsenal move imminent! Lionesses star Georgia Stanway reveals she's 'very close' to signing for new club after announcing Bayern Munich departure

Stanway announced back in January that she would be leaving Bayern Munich this summer, bringing to an end a very successful and enjoyable four-year spell in Germany. The England international has won three league titles, two Super Cups and one German Cup in her time in Munich, a haul she could yet add to with still involved in the cup, the Champions League and sitting top of the Bundesliga.

To leave the club was a decision she described as being "incredibly difficult" to make and she reiterated as much when facing the English media for the first time since the news was announced. Speaking in the Lionesses' pre-match press conference on Monday, joining head coach Sarina Wiegman ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine, Stanway said: "It was really difficult. I've absolutely loved my time at Bayern. It's probably one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. From the moment I got there, it felt like home. It was a really difficult decision to tell them that I wasn't going to be re-signing and I think that's because I still love it there and I've kind of come to the conclusion that I want to always have good memories at Bayern.

"I never want to get to the point where I'm not enjoying something or I'm a little bit over it. I want to continue to fulfil the rest of this season. Obviously, we're in a really good position in the league and the Champions League as well, and I want to try make as many memories as possible, so that my memories at Bayern are always positive."

There has always been a feeling that Stanway could return to England if she chose to leave Bayern and, unsurprisingly given her quality, there have always been rumblings of interest from the top clubs in the Women's Super League, if she was to become available. From the moment the 27-year-old announced that she would be officially leaving Bayern, though, there has been one club frequently mentioned as the front-runner and it is the club she now appears set to sign for: Arsenal.

Asked on Monday how close she was to sorting out her future, as she enters the final few months of her Bayern contract, Stanway replied: "I'm very close. I've had lots of talks with people, also talks with Sarina, and you'll find out sooner or later."

It's a move that makes a lot of sense for both Stanway and Arsenal. The Gunners have a lot of players out of contract at the club this summer, including midfielders Kim Little, Victoria Pelova and Kyra Cooney-Cross. One would expect the latter to stay, as the young Australia international is now starting to become more important in north London after spending some time settling in, while it would be a real shock if club captain Little was to be moved on. The latter, though, is 35 years old and will not play forever and with Pelova looking like a potential candidate to leave, in order to get more minutes after struggling for ample opportunities this season, midfield reinforcements will be needed - and they don't come much better than Stanway, particularly on a free transfer.

Stanway will be keen to get that deal all done as soon as possible, allowing her to focus on what the final few months of the season will bring. In Munich, there are three trophies still on the table. The Bundesliga appears to be wrapped up, with Bayern unbeaten and holding a whopping 14-point lead over Wolfsburg. In the cup, Bayern will be heavy favourites in their quarter-final with Hamburger SV later this month, before taking on Manchester United in a mouth-watering Champions League clash.

There's plenty at stake with England, too. The Lionesses begin their World Cup qualifying campaign against Ukraine on Tuesday, before hosting Iceland on Saturday. Only the group winners will qualify automatically for the tournament in Brazil and England will be battling with none other than world champions Spain for that spot, set to face La Roja in April and again in June.