Italian giants Lazio look set to win the race to sign Japanese playmaker Keisuke Honda, the 2011 Asian Cup’s most valuable player, in a €14million deal from Russian side CSKA Moscow.

Honda, 25, has already agreed personal terms with the Biancocelesti, according to Japanese daily Sports Nippon, after lunching with Lazio president Claudio Lotito in Rome after flying in from Barcelona, where he was undergoing rehabilitation on his injured right knee.

The midfielder, who has been watched by Arsenal, Liverpool and Juventus since bursting on the European scene with Dutch side VVV Venlo, is expected to undergo a medical at Lazio, possibly on Sunday, before tying up his move to the Stadio Olimpico.    

Honda played an integral role in Japan’s Asian Cup success in January last year which was a record fourth continent title for the Blue Samurai, who are coached by former Lazio boss Alberto Zaccheroni.