Arsenal have reportedly earmarked ex-Atletico Madrid chief Andrea Berta as their number one candidate to become their new sporting director.
The Gunners are reportedly hopeful of making an appointment this month as they look to replace Edu, who surprisingly resigned from his position towards the end of last year.
Edu worked closely with Mikel Arteta during Arsenal's rise from a mid-table Premier League side to genuine title contenders, although he is now set to join Evangelos Marinakis's group of clubs.
Since Edu decided to quit, the Brazilian's former right-hand man Jason Ayto has stepped into his shoes as Arsenal's interim sporting director, and he is said to be a contender for the permanent position too.
Dan Ashworth, Roberto Olabe and Thiago Scuro have also been mentioned as possible candidates, while former Arsenal playmaker Tomas Rosicky - now sporting director at Sparta Prague - has revealed that he is under consideration for the job too.
Arsenal hold 'discussions' with Berta after AC Milan rejection
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However, journalist Fabrizio Romano now reports that Berta is the number one pick for the sporting director vacancy, and Arsenal have already entered into discussions with the 53-year-old.
Romano adds that talks have quickly reached an advanced stage, but the two parties are yet to shake hands on an agreement to bring Berta to the Emirates.
A separate report from Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport - via the Evening Standard - claims that Berta was also a candidate to become AC Milan's sporting director, but the Brescia-born chief turned down the chance to move to San Siro.
Berta has been unattached since leaving Atletico Madrid in January, ending a golden 12-year spell at the club during which Diego Simeone's side won two La Liga titles and reached the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals.
The 53-year-old was named the Best Sporting Director of the Year at the 2019 Globe Soccer Awards for his work with Atletico, prior to which he also served as sporting director for Genoa and Parma.
Who did Arsenal-linked Berta sign for Atletico Madrid?
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Having initially taken up the position of Atletico's technical director in 2013 before moving into the position of sporting director in 2017, Berta helped to broker numerous notable signings for the Rojiblancos.
The 2014 summer window saw Atletico strike deals for two players who are still cornerstones of the side - Jan Oblak and Antoine Griezmann - the latter of whom was sold to Barcelona for £107m in 2019 before returning to the Wanda Metropolitano.
Berta and Atletico re-invested the Griezmann money into making Joao Felix the world's fourth-most expensive player of all time at £112.9m, but the Portugal international failed to live up to his price tag in the Spanish capital.
Other noteworthy acquisitions for Atletico under Berta's reign include the likes of Julian Alvarez, Conor Gallagher, Marcos Llorente, Rodrigo De Paul, Diego Costa, Thomas Lemar and Alvaro Morata, while they also moved on Rodri, Matheus Cunha, Lucas Hernandez and Arsenal's own Thomas Partey for hefty fees.
Berta's work in his final summer transfer window for Atletico has helped Simeone's side launch a La Liga title charge this season, currently sitting just one point behind Barcelona at the top of the table.
Ben Knapton
