Former Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis wants Arsene Wenger to join him at his new club, AC Milan, after current manager Gennaro Gattuso led the side to Europa League elimination on Thursday.

Milan suffered a 3-1 defeat to Olympiacos in midweek, in a match where they only needed a draw to qualify for the knockout stages, or a win to qualify as group winners. It was a particularly embarrassing result for one of the leading contenders for last year’s trophy, and one which has put Gattuso’s job under threat.

RaiSport report that the club has started to consider alternatives to the current boss. Gazidis is pushing to work with Wenger again, as he did with Arsenal, and has the Frenchman as the first name on his shortlist. The Italian outlet add that Wenger would be willing to come out of retirement for Milan, but this appears to be speculation.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 28: Arsene Wenger manager of Arsenal (R) and Ivan Gazidis, CEO of Arsenal (L) in discussion as they sit in the stands prior to the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Arsenal and Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium on September 28, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 28: Arsene Wenger manager of Arsenal (R) and Ivan Gazidis, CEO of Arsenal (L) in discussion as they sit in the stands prior to the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Arsenal and Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium on September 28, 2011 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Wherever he’s going, Wenger has already confirmed that he’s planning a January return, so we don’t have long to wait now until we know his next destination. Presumably, it will be announced in the next couple of weeks, so he has time to prepare for a New Year start.

The manager previously came out and denied a story linking him to Milan, calling it ‘fake news’. However, this wouldn’t be the first time he’s made a claim about the falsity of a story only for it to end up coming true. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.