Arsenal FINALLY Set To Sign A Dm, £21m Deal Close, Flamini To Leave

Goal’s Greg Stobart is reporting that Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini, who lost his place to Francis Coquelin, has been informed he is not in manager Arsene Wenger’s plans for this season and he can leave the club this summer.

Flamini is now asking the north London club for a pay-off. The 31-year Frenchman has been a transfer target for several European sides including Turkish kings Galatasaray and French Ligue 1 outfit Bastia.

The former AC Milan tough tackler whose contract at the Emirates expires next year has now told the Gunners they must pay him a part of that deal to cover for the expected loss of wages if he leaves the club.

Goal says Flamini has previously stated his desire to remain at the club and earn a new contract, even after losing his place in the starting line-up to Francis Coquelin.

“I don’t like to give up that easily, Flamini was quoted as saying in July.

“In football everything can move very easily one way or another. I don’t like to look back at the past. We are starting a new season and I’m focused on that one.”

Despite Flamini’s stance, Wenger does not see him in his future plans and he was left out of the squad that faced West Ham and got defeated 2-0 at the weekend.

Flamini had previously been at Arsenal between 2004-2008 but left for AC Milan afterwards. He made a return to the Premier League side on a three-year deal in 2013 and made 32 appearances in total for Arsenal last season.

Meanwhile, the French footballer’s exit could mean the arrival of a new defensive midfielder who can rival Coquelin.

Sevilla’s Polish midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak was, as per Telegraph, closely watched after an Arsenal delegation attended last night’s UEFA Super Cup clash with Barcelona in Tbilisi.

The 25-year old whose buy-out clause stands at £21.26m is wanted by Arsene Wenger who is reportedly keen to fortify his team in the midfield area too before the transfer window shuts on September 1.

It is understood the Sevilla midfielder is open to a move to a Premier League club who competes regularly in the Champions League – which Arsenal do.

The former Reims midfielder joined Sevilla last season and helped the team secure a Champions League qualification as a result of their victory against Dnipro in the Europa League final.

Should Arsenal trigger his release clause, the Poland international could be the club’s second summer arrival following the footsteps of Petr Cech.

However, how Arsenal intend to solve the pay-out issue with Flamini is still to be seen.