Bannigan, 23, made his first team breakthrough at Thistle more than five years ago and has played more than 150 games for the club.
The former Scotland under-21 player is out of contract at the end of the season and no compensation fee is due to Thistle due to his age.
And the Dons could make a move to tie him up on a pre-contract during the current transfer window.
However boss Derek McInnes faces competition from English clubs for the midfielder, and in a move that would mirror last January's swoop for St Mirren's Kenny McLean, could force AFC to open the wallet to snatch Bannigan before the end of the season.
The Firhill club may therefore accept a low-ish offer, in the knowledge that he will leave for nothing in the summer.
Bannigan's Partick team-mate Sean Welsh told the Scotsman: "It’s up to the club to decide how much they might accept for Stuart, but from my point of view I’d love to keep him until the summer for our benefit."
Source: Daily Record/The Scotsman