Nicklas Bendtner and Mathieu Flamini could make imminent return to English football

Former Arsenal duo Nicklas Bendtner and Mathieu Flamini could be set for a return to the Premier League with Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace looking to sign them up respectively. The forward and the midfielder are both free agents at the moment and can join any club despite the transfer window being shut.

The Denmark international spent nine years at Arsenal between 2005 and 2014 before leaving on a permanent basis to join Bundesliga side Wolfsburg, and after two seasons, the club terminated the forward's contract after being found guilty on more than one occasion for disregarding club rules.

According to BBC Sport, Forest are on the verge of signing him on a free transfer after he arrived at the City Ground to discuss personal terms on Tuesday (6 September). If the move is confirmed in the coming days, the Danish striker could come up against former club Arsenal on 21 September as they face each other in the third round of the League Cup.

Flamini is also available on a free transfer after being released by Arsenal this summer and Eagles boss Alan Pardew has confirmed that the French midfielder is one of the players he is looking at. The former Newcastle United manager is keen to add another player to his squad and is confident that the 32-year-old midfielder can bring experience and a winning mentality to his side.

"Mathieu is a player I am looking at, yes. He would give us a bit more experience to winning games. I like the fact whenever he played, he played in the big, big games at Arsenal when they needed someone to kind of lead the team over the line and get big results," Pardew said, as quoted on Sky Sports.

"Mathieu's name was always on that list. I have always admired what he's done, so I am looking at him. His age, 32, in my mind I signed Teddy Sheringham when he was 38, so the age isn't a problem for me. I think his experience is something I am looking at, yes," the Palace manager added.

Pardew, however, is not sure if the move for the Frenchman will get over the line as they face competition from other clubs outside England. The manager cited the example of Jack Wilshere, who was on their radar for a loan move, but chose to move to Bournemouth on transfer deadline day.

"We face competition from clubs that have a much higher profile than us. It could be a Jack [Wilshere] situation where we're in there but don't get it over the line," Pardew explained, as quoted by the Mirror.