US President-elect Donald Trump has offered retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn the job of national security adviser, the Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing a senior Trump official.

The official would not say whether Flynn, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency who advised Trump during the campaign on national security issues, has officially accepted the job, according to AP.

Flynn has been Trump's top military adviser during the campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton and has often drawn fire for taking positions supportive of Russia and Vladimir Putin. He often pops up on Moscow's RT television network as a commentator.

Trump met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday and on Saturday has scheduled a meeting with the 2012 Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, a transition official said.

Romey would be under consideration for the job of Secretary of State, joining a list of contenders to become the nation's top diplomat that includes former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former UN ambassador John Bolton.

Trump and Romney began talking about meeting last week when the former Massachusetts governor called to congratulate Trump on winning the election, said transition officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the schedule hasn't been made public. It may signal that the pair are trying to mend rifts in the Republican Party.

Trump has met with a string of Republicans, business leaders and others at Trump Tower in Manhattan as he sets about filling staff and cabinet positions before taking office in January. Some are candidates for administration positions and others are offering advice.

Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, who met with Trump on Wednesday and is a potential candidate for defence secretary or attorney general, said it was a good idea for Trump and Romney to have a face-to-face talk.

"He's meeting with a lot of talented people that he needs good relationships with," Sessions said of Trump. "And I think Mr. Romney would be quite capable of doing a number of things."

with Bloomberg