Mathieu Flamini is set to be handed a new five-year contract by Arsenal.

The London Evening Standard says the Arsenal midfielder's current deal runs out next summer and he will be free to talk to other clubs about an end-of-season move from next month.

But the 23-year-old, who moved to Arsenal from Marseille in 2004, is on the verge of being handed a lucrative new deal after proving to be a key member of the team.

Negotiations between Flamini's advisers and the club are at an advanced stage and he could soon put pen to paper on a £40,000-a-week deal. That would put him in a middle band of earners on Arsenal's payroll.