Arsenal and Liverpool will soon find out if they stand a genuine chance of signing Schalke midfielder Lewis Holtby after it was revealed his future would be decided next month.

The German international is out of contract at the end of the season and Schalke are keen to persuade the midfielder to sign a new long-term deal with the Champions League outfit.

Lewis Holtby
Lewis Holtby celebrating after scoring against Werder Bremen [Reuters]

However, there has been plenty of speculation that Holtby will look to move to a Premier League club as he has strong ties with England as his father is from Merseyside.

Holtby has often stated that he would like to play in England and it was recently announced that he had received an offer from an unnamed Premier League club, which the Daily Mail speculated may have been Arsenal or Liverpool.

"Lewis is very good at Schalke but above all there is an English club which has made a very interesting proposal," Holtby's agent Markus Noack revealed last month.

With the 22-year-old out of contract in the summer, it means that clubs will be able to land him on a cut price deal in January, or he could sign a pre-contract agreement with a Premier League club which would see him move for a nominal fee at the end of the season.

Should Arsenal and Liverpool attempt to move for the midfielder then it seems they will discover if he is available by the end of next month.

"Negotiations are in the end phase, it's down to details," revealed general manager Horst Heldt. "A decision will be made before the year ends.

"I'll only look into it [selling in January] if someone expresses an interest. Our aim remains to agree a new deal."

Holtby has been a regular in the Schalke side this season and has particularly impressed in the Champions League where the German side have already qualified for the knockout stages and are one point ahead of Arsenal.

The German midfielder has also been an ever present in the league side this season and has helped Schalke clinb to second in the league as they attempt to challenge runaway leaders Bayern Munich.