Mathieu Flamini has dashed Arsenal's faint hopes of keeping him
by agreeing to join Milan, while the Premier League club face a
crunch meeting over Alexander Hleb's future later this week.
The signs are that Arsene Wenger will be shorn of half his
first-choice midfield - and two of his best performers this season
- with Hleb having been offered a huge four-year contract by
Internazionale, Milan's city's rivals, which he is keen to
sign.
The loss of the pair would be a severe blow to Wenger who has
set Flamini a deadline of the end of this month to decide his
future after making what he described as a "decent" improved offer.
The 24-year-old French midfielder's present contract runs out on 30
June and, despite Arsenal's efforts, he has been offered far more
by Milan and Juventus.
It had appeared that Juve were the favourites to sign Flamini
but they have been out-bid by Milan who are willing to pay him four
million euros a year - a million more than was an offer from their
rivals - which includes a significant signing-on fee spread over a
five-year contract. They have ear-marked Flamini as the eventual
replacement for Gennaro Gattuso - which is ironic considering the
midfielder was nicknamed after the Italian by his Arsenal
team-mates.
Over the weekend Carlo Ancelotti went public on Milan TV - the
club's own television channel - to speak of his admiration for
Flamini, especially after the way he performed against the European
Cup holders in the Champions League tie earlier this season.
Flamini - whose father Roland is Italian and has relatives in Rome
- is free to talk to other clubs because his contract has almost
expired. He has made clear that he wants to accept a more lucrative
offer than has been tabled by Arsenal, especially as Flamini has
felt under-valued at the Emirates for some time. Wenger has urged
Flamini not to leave Arsenal just for a "few bucks" but that kind
of comment will not be well-received by his player.
Hleb, who is 27 next month, has been offered an impressive
four-year deal by Inter, but will hold talks with Arsenal this
week. He is understood to be concerned that, after so much promise
this season, it is now the third campaign in a row that Arsenal
have failed to win a trophy. Much to Wenger's annoyance, the
Italian champions have openly declared their interest in the
Belarussian who joined Arsenal from Stuttgart in July 2005. He has
two years left on his present deal but article 17 of FIFA
regulations would allow him to leave for a fixed fee, likely to be
significantly less than the £11.2m Arsenal paid for him.
The situation presents Wenger with a major headache. His team
face bottom club Derby County away tonight with Flamini a doubt
because he has not fully recovered from an ankle injury. Wenger may
have a league debut to goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski who, he said,
will vie with Manuel Almunia for the club's number one slot next
season.
