Azzedine Ounahi's name returned to the spotlight in the final hours of the summer window, with one of his former clubs circling.
Talks have yet to reach a decisive stage, and conflicting reports surround the stance of Girona, who hold the Moroccan's contract and now play in the Spanish second division.
Ounahi enjoyed a superb loan spell in Athens during the 2024-2025 season. Now he is set for a strong return to Panathinaikos, according to French website Foot Mercato on Tuesday.
Ajax Amsterdam pushed hard in recent days to prise the Moroccan international away from Girona, but the midfielder chose to stay put.
Panathinaikos tempt Ounahi with the highest salary
The French website revealed: "According to our information, a final verbal agreement has been reached between the Spanish club and the Greek team for the loan of Ounahi with an obligation to buy for 25 million euros, paving the way for a four-year contract".
Beating off the Dutch competition and winning over the Atlas Lion meant putting serious money on the table. The Athens club offered him the highest salary in the entire squad at 2.7 million euros per year.
It concluded: "The Panathinaikos management is now accelerating the procedures to complete the deal. The Greek club wishes to speed up the process as much as possible during the coming hours in order to register the Casablanca-born player in the European squad list in time".