Mathieu Flamini seeks pay-off to leave Arsenal this summer

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Published on:

04 May 2015, 3:33 am

EXCLUSIVE | By Arsenal correspondent Tony Hughes

Mathieu Flamini could be given a pay-off to sever his ties with Arsenal for a second time this summer,

Football Insider

sources understand.

View image | gettyimages.com

The Premier League are willing to negotiate a severance package with the midfielder to enable him to find another club. As revealed by

Football Insider

last month,

Flamini is heading for the Emirates Stadium exit

after plans to hold talks on a contract extension stalled. The 31-year-old is increasingly surplus to requirements and Arsenal are now ready to discuss a deal in which he leaves the club with a pay-off. His current deal, which began in 2013, is a ‘two years plus one’ deal, which allows him to be granted a further 12 months beyond this summer if he plays in a stipulated number of matches this season. Flamini has made 32 appearances for the Gunners in the current campaign, including 15 Premier League starts, but he has been a fringe player since Francis Coquelin returned from a loan spell at Charlton Athletic in December to cement his place in Wenger’s team. At that point, Arsenal were willing to open negotiations on an extension but Arsene Wenger is now preparing to overhaul his central midfield this summer with Southampton’s Morgan Schneiderlin and Sporting Lisbon’s William Carvalho among his targets.

Despite his injury, Mikel Arteta has agreed the terms of a one-year contract extension and Wenger also added teenager Krystian Bielik in January.

Flamini spent four years with the Gunners from 2004-2008 before re-joining in 2013 after five years at AC Milan.

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