Arsenal transfer rumour: Greek side Panathinaikos interested in signing Mathieu Flamini

Arsenal midfielder Mathieu Flamini is actively searching for a new club as his contract with the Gunners draws to a close and Greek side Panathinaikos have shown interest in signing him on a free transfer in the summer. The French midfielder is on his second stint with the north London club and has fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of Mohamed Elneny during the January transfer window.

According to the London Evening Standard, the Panathinaikos are keen on taking Flamini to Greece in the summer but are unwilling to match the midfielder's current wages with Arsenal. The Frenchman is on a reported £60,000-a-week at Arsenal which his potential suitors are unable to match.

The Greeks have reportedly asked the midfielder to drop his wages for the deal to go through, but it remains to be seen if Flamini will bow to their wishes. The 32-year-old has not featured for Arsenal since their Champions League exit at the hands of Barcelona in March and regular football is likely to be his primary objective while choosing his next destination.

Arsene Wenger is likely to overhaul his midfield before the start of the 2016/17 campaign and apart from Flamini, Mikel Arteta and Tomas Rosicky are also set to depart following the expiry of their contracts and the manager will need to bring quality replacements to shore up the side's midfield. According to the Sun, the Gunners are targeting moves for Leicester City's N'Golo Kante and Borussia Dortmund's Henrikh Mkhitaryan during the summer transfer window.

The midfield duo have had impressive seasons with their respective clubs in England and Germany and will be a solid addition to Arsenal's midfield options, which already consists of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere, Mohamed Elneny and Francis Coquelin.