Arsenal and Liverpool are set to fight it out for the signature of Cheikhou Kouyate from Belgian giants Anderlecht, as per the player's agent.

The Gunners failed in their pursuit of the talented 24-year-old centre-back, following a denial of a work permit in the summer of 2012.

However, the player's agent Saffet Balkan has insisted that his client now qualifies for a Belgian passport and is likely to leave the Jupiler Pro League champions during the transfer window.

"I have been in talks with representatives from Liverpool and Arsenal over Cheikhou Kouyate," Saffet Balkan said. "Arsenal are very interested in Kouyate. It's very likely that he'll be joining a Premier League club soon."

Kouyate joined Anderlecht from Brussels in 2008.